Press conference held at Scene of US-led attack on migrant shelter in Sa'ada

Saba Yemen

29-04-2025

Sa'ada - Saba:
A press conference was held Tuesday at the site of a deadly US-led attack on a migrant shelter in Sa'ada province, where officials from local authorities, civil society organizations, and the Ministry of Justice condemned the assault and called for international accountability. The aggression killed 65 African migrants and injured 68 others, has sparked outrage among Yemeni leaders and human rights advocates.
Hamid Mahmal, a local authority representative, delivered a speech denouncing the aggression attack, noting that the shelter, which had been a known refuge for African migrants, was regularly visited by international organizations. He held the US administration responsible for killing, labeling the incident as a "full-fledged crime." Mahmal highlighted that this was not the first such aggression on the shelter— a similar US-Saudi assault in January 2021 resulted in hundreds of casualties.
Ali Tayseer, head of the Human Rights Sector at Yemen's Ministry of Justice, condemned what he described as the US and Western powers' ongoing misinformation campaign about their involvement in Yemen. He called the attack on the migrant shelter an act of genocide, citing the prior attack in 2021 that left over 300 people dead or injured.
Tayseer expressed frustration over the lack of international condemnation, arguing that the silence of global bodies such as the UN shows that human rights laws are often disregarded, leaving Yemen to fend for itself.
Ismail al-Khashab, from the National Committee for Refugee Affairs, echoed these sentiments, asserting that the US's actions constituted a flagrant violation of international law and a war crime. He criticized the Security Council and the UN for their continued silence, arguing that this complicity emboldens further aggression. Al-Khashab called on international human rights organizations to take a stronger stand on the matter.
Lieutenant Colonel Hussein al-Kebsi, Director of Follow-up at the Immigration and Passports Authority, condemned the attack, calling it a violation of agreements meant to protect migrants. He also noted that the lack of international response encouraged the US to continue its aggression against residential areas under the guise of military targets.
Ramadan Youssef, representing African communities in Yemen, described the attack as a "deliberate and premeditated" crime against African migrants. He called on African governments to exert pressure on the US and Israel to cease their aggression, which he said has devastating consequences for both local and foreign nationals.
Civil society organizations, represented by Abdullah Musa, also spoke out against the attack, calling it a war crime in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Musa demanded that local and international bodies take action by documenting these crimes and holding those responsible accountable.
Brigadier General Khalil Al-Nuaimi, Director of Care and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Interior, emphasized that the attack represented a gross violation of human rights, underscoring that the US and international organizations were well aware of the shelter's existence prior to the assault. The conference concluded with an inspection of the migrant shelter, where the scale of destruction and the horrific aftermath of the attack were observed firsthand.
The event has added to growing international concerns about the treatment of civilians in Yemen, with calls for more decisive action from the international community to hold the perpetrators accountable. The attacks on migrants, described as war crimes, are expected to fuel further debates on the enforcement of international humanitarian law and the role of global powers in Yemen's ongoing conflict.
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