Mwatana for Human Rights

Mwatana for Human Rights stated that the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group has detained dozens of civilians in successive waves of arrests, including local peace mediators, academics, writers, journalists, human rights defenders, government employees, leaders and members of political parties, and participants in peaceful events commemorating the September 26 Revolution. The arrests also included male and female humanitarian, development, and diplomatic workers, as well as staff of UN agencies and international and local organizations. Since the beginning of 2025 through October, the organization has documented at least 392 cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance in Sana’a, Dhamar, Hodeidah, Ibb, Saada, and parts of Taiz and Al-Dhalea, along with other areas under the group’s control. Full statement here:- 🔗 mwatana.org/posts-en/ongoi…

Mwatana appealed to the international community to support monitoring and reporting programs on mine incidents, fund victim rehabilitation and reintegration programs, mine‑clearance operations, and mine‑risk education to reduce the dangers in contaminated areas. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

Mwatana called on all parties to the conflict in Yemen, particularly Ansar Allah Group (Houthis), to comply with international humanitarian law, including the Ottawa Convention; to immediately cease the emplacement and use of mines; to mark mined areas with clear warning signs to reduce civilian harm; to cooperate in clearing contaminated areas; and to facilitate demining operations by national and international actors by handing over maps of mine distribution and allowing entry for experts and technical and protective equipment for demining teams. The organization also urged that effective measures be taken to redress the harm suffered by victims and their families, including the provision of adequate compensation and support for health, psychosocial and community‑based rehabilitation programs. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

The humanitarian consequences of mine contamination go beyond direct loss of life and physical injury; they include deep social and economic repercussions for victims, their families and affected local communities. Many survivors suffer permanent disabilities that deprive them of the ability to work and shoulder the burdens of life, while families face additional care and treatment costs in the context of limited health services and rehabilitation capacity in Yemen. These conditions exacerbate humanitarian vulnerability and deepen cycles of poverty and suffering. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

“The danger of mines is not limited to the immediate harm they inflict on civilians, severe as that is; their consequences extend to the basic means of life and sources of livelihood on which civilians depend.” Radhya Al‑Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

“The parties responsible for laying and spreading mines — foremost among them Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) — must put an end to this crime and fulfill their legal and moral duties to clear contaminated areas and support demining efforts carried out by international humanitarian actors. They should enable that work by identifying contaminated sites, handing over maps of minefields, and facilitating safe and rapid access to those areas” Radhya Al‑Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

The mine incidents documented by Mwatana resulted in 1,416 victims, including 495 fatalities — among them 212 children and 38 women — and 921 wounded, including 417 children and 105 women. These victims are spread across several governorates under the control of different parties to the conflict. Mwatana stressed that the real number of mine victims is much higher than these figures; the statistics reflect only those incidents the organization’s field teams were able to document using a precise monitoring methodology and do not necessarily capture all mine‑related violations during the statement period. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

“The spread of mines and their ongoing threat to civilians’ lives and livelihoods represent one of the painful dimensions of the ongoing conflict in Yemen. They reflect the warring parties’ disregard for civilian life and safety and their failure to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law and to protect civilians.” Radhya Al‑Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

Mwatana documented at least 701 mine incidents committed by various parties to the conflict, attributing approximately 95.5% of the total documented incidents to Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) — 671 incidents recorded from the outbreak of the armed conflict in late September 2014 through February 2026. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

The International Day for Mine Awareness is not merely an annual reminder of the risks posed by laying and using mines in armed conflict; it is an important opportunity to call on the parties to the conflict in Yemen — foremost among them Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) — to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities to protect civilians. Those responsibilities include immediately ceasing the emplacement of mines, handing over maps and information about contaminated areas, clearing contaminated sites, and providing necessary support to victims and survivors and their families, including medical care, physical and psychological rehabilitation, social inclusion and measures that enable them to restore their lives and livelihoods with dignity. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

The widespread emplacement of mines in residential areas, public roads, farms, grazing lands, near water sources and fishing areas has exacerbated civilian suffering, restricted freedom of movement and the ability to work or return safely to homes, undermined livelihoods and deepened humanitarian vulnerability across many Yemeni governorates. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

Mwatana for Human Rights state in a statement today, on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness observed every year on 4 April, that landmines of various types constitute a lethal and long‑lasting threat to civilians in Yemen. Since the outbreak of the ongoing armed conflict in September 2014, these weapons have continued to claim civilian lives, cause severe bodily injuries and produce permanent disabilities, while the conflict persists and the territory contaminated by mines expands. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…

Mwatana called on the international community to uphold its moral and legal responsibilities toward Yemeni civilian victims and to exert serious pressure on all parties to the conflict to engage in a comprehensive and just peace process that places transitional justice, accountability, reparations for victims, and reconstruction at the forefront of its priorities. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/eleve…

Mwatana also called on all local parties—foremost among them the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, the internationally recognized government, Islah Party-affiliated forces, the Southern Transitional Council, and the Joint Forces—to assume responsibility for violations committed by their forces and affiliated groups against civilians in areas under their control, to immediately cease such violations, to comply with the rules and principles of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and to investigate violations, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide justice and reparations to victims. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/eleve…

Mwatana further stressed that the UAE’ announcement of its military withdrawal from the coalition in late 2025 does not absolve it of its legal responsibilities for violations committed during its participation in military operations, nor for its role in supporting local armed groups implicated in serious violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and child recruitment. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/eleve…

Mwatana renewed its call on the Saudi/UAE-led coalition to assume its legal, moral, and humanitarian responsibilities toward tens of thousands of civilian victims of military operations that targeted civilians and civilian objects, as well as other violations committed by coalition forces and affiliated local formations across Yemen throughout the years of conflict. The organization emphasized that the cessation of military operations since the truce declared on April 2, 2022, represents a genuine opportunity to turn the page on the war in Yemen—beginning with a responsible initiative to acknowledge civilian victims, provide redress, and ensure justice as a foundation for a comprehensive and sustainable peace. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/eleve…

“The Saudi/UAE-led coalition forces, along with all local, regional, and international parties involved in the conflict to varying degrees, have committed grave violations in Yemen and contributed to deepening the suffering of millions of civilians. They bear legal, moral, and humanitarian responsibilities toward victims that do not lapse with time or neglect under a prevailing climate of impunity. Without genuine commitment to justice and reparations, victims will remain in a state of waiting, and any peace process that disregards their rights will remain fragile and at risk of failure”. Radhiya Al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/eleve…

“Any serious path toward peace in Yemen must begin with acknowledgment of responsibility for violations, justice for victims, an end to the policy of impunity, ensuring victims’ right to reparation and compensation, and holding those responsible accountable in a manner that guarantees non-repetition and lays the groundwork for a just and sustainable peace”. Radhiya Al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/eleve…

Mwatana affirmed that the conflict, now in its eleventh year, has left thousands of civilians dead and injured, caused widespread destruction of infrastructure, led to the collapse of basic services, and resulted in an unprecedented deterioration of humanitarian and economic conditions. This has been driven by violations committed by all parties to the conflict against civilians and civilian objects, including hospitals, schools, bridges, roads, markets, farms, factories, water and electricity facilities, homes, ports, airports, vital civilian infrastructure, and historical and cultural landmarks. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/eleve…

Mwatana for Human Rights stated, in a press release issued to mark the eleventh anniversary of the announcement of the start of military operations by the Saudi/UAE-led coalition on March 26, 2015, that tens of thousands of civilian victims across Yemen continue to await an end to the policy of impunity, effective accountability for all crimes committed during the years of conflict, and redress and justice for civilian victims. These are essential foundations for turning the page on the war in Yemen and building a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/eleve…

Mwatana called on the international community and the United Nations to intensify diplomatic efforts and pressure for the release of detainees, to ensure respect for humanitarian principles in Yemen, and to underline the need to shield humanitarian personnel from any political pressures or conflict-related reprisals, and not to use them as tools in political disputes, thereby safeguarding the continuity of their humanitarian role free from targeting or politicization. Kindly find, at the following link, the complete statement: - mwatana.org/posts-en/on-th…