The armed conflict in Yemen started in September 2014, when the Iran-backed Ansar Allah armed group (the ‘Houthis’) and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh violently took control of the capital Sana’a. The conflict intensified in March 2015 when a Saudi and United Arab Emirates (UAE) led Coalition started military operations against the Houthis and Saleh loyalist forces, in support of the internationally recognised government of the former president Abd Rabou Mansour Hadi. Ever since, civilians in Yemen have suffered from the conflict.

Mwatana, whose work covers most Yemeni governorates, has documented thousands of incidents of civilian harm since the beginning of the armed conflict in 2014, based on fact-finding, examination of evidence and detailed research.

Between September 2014 and 31 August 2022, Mwatana visited the scene of and documented 1,044 airstrikes in which civilians or civilian objects were hit. In these incidents, 3,618 civilians were killed, including 459 women and 1,207 children. A further 3,973 civilians were injured, including 464 women and 1,013 children. Also, hundreds of civilian objects, such as homes, schools, hospitals and other service facilities, were damaged or destroyed. In the same period, Mwatana visited and documented 805 incidents of ground-launched attacks. These attacks killed 751 civilians, including 122 women and 310 children. Another 1,885 civilians were injured, including 288 women and 785 children. In addition, hundreds of civilian objects, such as houses, schools and hospitals, were damaged or destroyed.

However, these incidents documented by Mwatana do not constitute a comprehensive catalogue of all violations committed by the parties to the conflict in Yemen. Rather they are examples of violations in which civilians were harmed and civilian objects were destroyed.

This report documents ten incidents of harm resulting from attacks by the Saudi and UAE-led Coalition and the Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis). In all the incidents explosive weapons, most notably unguided shells and air-launched missiles, were used in populated areas. In some incidents, evidence suggests acts in breach of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), for example when a civilian target was hit by what appears to be guided munitions. In that case, an attack may be based on wrong information about the target, but it can also be that the civilian target was willingly targeted, even though this is not allowed under IHL. In other incidents the evidence is less straightforward. What all the incidents have in common, however, is that they show a pattern of grave human harm that goes beyond the direct injuries and deaths, extending to grave psychological suffering, loss of income and loss of homes.

Mwatana for Human Rights and the Dutch peace organisation PAX teamed up to write this report, based on field research conducted by Mwatana.

The incidents demonstrate the urgent need for all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to better protect civilians, including by avoiding the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.