Houthis target mosques, civilian homes

The Iran-backed Houthis (Ansarallah) have engaged in a systematic campaign of targeting civilian homes and mosques and terrorising anyone who opposes their presence, Yemeni officials and analysts told Al-Mashareq.

In this way, the militia mirrors the actions of extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), they said.

On September 3rd, hundreds of armed Houthis and armoured vehicles stormed the village of al-Zawb, in al-Bayda province's al-Quraishiyah district.

The offensive, aimed at targeting Houthi opponents in the village, was launched although an agreement had been reached to avert conflict via mediation by notables in the region.

The Houthis blew up the homes of two brothers, Abd Rabbu and Saleh Ahmad Jarallah al-Zobah, for speaking out against the presence of the militia in their area.

They also bombed residential neighbourhoods, killing a number of citizens inside their homes. Among the victims was Ali Saleh al-Qafili, whose daughter was wounded along with six others in the village.

'Reminiscent of ISIS, AQ'

The Houthi bombing of al-Zawb is reminiscent of al-Qaeda and ISIS, and underscores "the shared criminality and tactics employed by these terrorist groups", said Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani.

This is part of the militia's strategy of "sowing terror and fear in the souls of ordinary people" and exacting revenge against opponents, thus subjecting them to its authority, he told Al-Mashareq.

The Civil Authority for Victims of House Bombings said on September 6th that the Houthi militia bombed 804 homes in 17 Yemeni provinces during the period from September 2014 through June 30th.

The authority said in its first report, titled "Hutam wa Aalaam" (Ruins and Pain), that Taez province suffered the largest share of house bombing violations, ranking first with 149 houses, followed by al-Bayda province with 124 houses and Ibb province with 120 houses.

The authority called on the legitimate government to provide shelter and relief aid for the families whose homes were bombed.

It also called on international and local organisations and the media to "convey the voice of the distressed to world public opinion to unmask the militias and expose their crimes to the world".

'War crimes'

The Houthi militia has also "targeted 750 mosques and Quran memorisation centres" from 2014 through the end of 2019, said Minister of Endowments and Guidance Ahmed Attiyah.

These include 79 mosques and Quran memorisation centres that were bombed to the ground, he said in a press statement August 29th, noting that all the violations have been documented.

The mosques targeted by the Houthis were either fully or partially bombed or shelled with heavy weapons, and their contents were looted, he said, adding that some were turned into weapon depots and others into kat chewing halls.

The Houthi bombing of mosques and homes, as well as government institutions, aims to intimidate and terrorise those who oppose the militia, Deputy Minister of Human Rights Nabil Abdul Hafeez told Al-Mashareq.

This approach stems from "ideological terrorism" similar to the ideology of ISIS and al-Qaeda, he said.

The ministries of humans rights and foreign affairs are monitoring and documenting these incidents and preparing legal case files that will be submitted to the judiciary, Abdul Hafeez said.

Lawyer and human rights activist Abdul Rahman Berman told Al-Mashareq the bombing of homes and mosques are "war crimes and not subject to the statute of limitations".

The process of documenting and monitoring them and preparing legal case files around them will enable the victims to reclaim their rights when the state is restored to the legitimate government, he said.