At least 68 African migrants have died in a US air strike on a detention center in Houthi-controlled northwestern Yemen, according to the armed group’s TV channel.
Al Masirah reported 47 additional migrants were injured, most critically, when the center in Saada province was bombed. The channel shared graphic footage showing multiple bodies amid the rubble of a destroyed building.
The US military has not immediately commented on this specific incident. However, it came shortly after US Central Command announced its forces had struck over 800 targets since President Trump ordered an intensification of the air campaign against the Houthis on March 15. Centcom claimed these strikes had “killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including senior officials overseeing missile and drone programs.
Houthi authorities have consistently reported civilian casualties while claiming few losses among their fighters.
The migrant detention center was reportedly holding 115 Africans when it was hit four times around 5:00 am local time Monday. Al Masirah’s videos showed first responders recovering at least a dozen bodies from concrete and metal debris. One injured man was heard calling out “My mother” in Amharic, Ethiopia’s official language. Another told reporters, “The strike hit us while we were sleeping, that’s it.”
The Houthi-run interior ministry condemned what it called “deliberate bombing” of the facility, calling it a “war crime.”
The UN’s International Organisation for Migration expressed being “deeply saddened” and called on all parties “to prioritize the protection of civilians.” The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed Yemen Red Crescent Society teams provided emergency support, noting the detention facility was run by local authorities and previously visited by the ICRC.
In 2022, at least 66 people reportedly died when the Saudi-led coalition struck a detention facility just 100 meters from Monday’s attack site. Al Masirah also reported eight additional deaths from overnight US strikes in Sanaa.
Despite Yemen’s 11-year conflict and humanitarian crisis, migrants continue arriving from the Horn of Africa, hoping to reach Saudi Arabia for work. The IOM reports almost 60,900 migrants, mostly Ethiopians and Somalis, arrived in 2024 alone. Thousands are believed held in detention centers with poor conditions.
Earlier this month, Houthi authorities claimed US air strikes on the Ras Isa oil terminal killed 74 people. Centcom said the attack destroyed the terminal’s ability to accept fuel, impacting both Houthi operations and revenue generation.
Last month, Trump ordered large-scale strikes on Houthi-controlled areas and threatened they would be “completely annihilated.” Centcom stated it would continue pressuring the group until achieving “restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence.”
Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, sinking two ships, seizing another, and killing four crew members. They claim to act in support of Palestinians in Gaza, targeting vessels linked to Israel, the US, or UK.
Yemen’s civil war, which escalated in 2015, has reportedly killed over 150,000 people and created a humanitarian disaster with 4.8 million displaced and 19.5 million requiring aid.
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