Amid ongoing American military aggression against Yemen, 68 African migrants were killed and 47 others critically injured following air strikes that targeted a shelter centre for undocumented migrants in the city of Saada, northern Yemen, according to local medical sources.
The air raid destroyed a building that was housing more than 115 African migrants, while rescue operations are still underway to retrieve dozens of missing persons from under the rubble. Images and video footage revealed extensive devastation at the targeted site, with emergency teams treating victims suffering from moderate to critical injuries.
Field testimonies indicated that one of the missiles used in the strikes failed to detonate, prompting emergency teams to handle the situation cautiously to prevent further disaster. The targeted shelter was operated under the supervision of international humanitarian organisations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
International humanitarian law clearly stipulates the protection of civilians and humanitarian facilities during armed conflicts, and the targeting of shelters constitutes a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
These laws strictly prohibit any attacks on persons not participating in hostilities or on structures used for neutral humanitarian purposes, making this crime grounds for an urgent international investigation and the prosecution of those responsible.
This atrocity forms part of a broader series of American air strikes that have targeted numerous civilian facilities across Yemen in recent months. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has acknowledged carrying out over 800 air raids since mid-March 2025, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties and the destruction of residential areas, ports, and hospitals.
The escalation of American attacks coincides with ongoing US support for Israel’s aggression against the Gaza Strip, which since October 2023 has resulted in over 170,000 Palestinian casualties, most of them women and children, amidst growing accusations of genocide.
Despite the gravity of the crimes committed against civilians in Yemen and Palestine, the international community continues to maintain a deafening silence, further entrenching the culture of impunity and exacerbating the suffering of populations in conflict zones.
