Amnesty calls for probe into US air strike in Yemen
The human rights watchdog says a US attack targeting a “well-known” migrant detention facility in northwestern Yemen should be investigated as a violation of international humanitarian law.
“The US attacked a well-known detention facility where the Houthis have been detaining hundreds of migrants who had no means to take shelter. The major loss of civilian life in this attack raises serious concerns about whether the US complied with its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the rules on distinction and precautions,” said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary-general.
The group said it has spoken with three people who work with African migrants and refugees in Yemen, two of whom confirmed seeing evidence that the strike had caused mass casualties.
Witnesses who visited hospitals in Saada told Amnesty International they saw more than two dozen Ethiopian migrants who had sustained injuries, including severe amputations and fractures, the group said. “They also said that the morgues at the hospitals ran out of space to receive dead bodies, so casualties received from the air strike had to be stacked outside,” it added.
The U.S. attacked a well-known detention facility where the Huthis have been detaining hundreds of migrants who had no means to take shelter.https://t.co/tdQvNryfvd
— Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa) May 19, 2025
