In Yemen, a US airstrike kills dozens of African migrants while seriously wounding others

A US airstrike on a Yemeni detention facility has killed at least 68 African migrants.

According to the armed group’s TV program, Al Masirah, a US airstrike on a detention facility in Houthi-controlled northwestern Yemen has killed at least 68 African migrants. The center, which is in Saada province, was bombed, and 47 other people were gravely injured, according to the report.

After the attack, Al Masirah posted graphic video of bodies buried behind debris. The US military has not yet released a formal statement.

The hit, however, came just after US Central Command (Centcom) declared that since President Donald Trump ordered an escalation of military operations on March 15, it had targeted over 800 Houthi-affiliated sites.

The ongoing campaign, according to Centcom, has killed “hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including individuals involved in the group’s drone and missile activities. Nonetheless, Houthi-run authorities have continuously said that civilian casualties are significant while fighter losses are relatively low.

According to reports, 115 African migrants were being held at the detention facility at the time of the attack. Even with Yemen’s continuous humanitarian crisis brought on by more than ten years of civil war, thousands of migrants still risk their lives to go from the Horn of Africa to Saudi Arabia in quest of employment. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), many instead experience exploitation, violence, and detention. Nearly 60,900 migrants, often lacking the means to survive, entered Yemen in 2024 alone.

Tensions in the area are rising at the time of this most recent occurrence. The Houthi-run administration said earlier in April that at least 74 people had been killed and 171 injured by US airstrikes on the Ras Isa oil terminal. Centcom insisted that the strikes were required to destroy Houthi money streams that support their activities, despite Houthi officials characterizing the terminal as a civilian facility and accusing the US of a “war crime.”

Recently returned to office, President Trump has approved massive military operations against Houthi-held areas, promising to “completely annihilate” the organization if necessary. Additionally, he has reiterated cautions about Iranian backing for the Houthis, a claim Tehran has continuously refuted.

Since November 2023, Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks on merchant vessels, sinking two, capturing another, and killing four crew members, making the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden more risky for international business. The gang has attacked vessels connected to the US, UK, or Israel, despite claiming to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The Houthis have persisted in their activities in spite of the Western naval forces’ deployment and earlier military operations during the Biden administration. Since then, President Trump has reclassified the group as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,” reversing his predecessor’s decision to support humanitarian assistance.

More than 150,000 people have been killed in Yemen’s civil conflict, which started when the Houthis took over significant portions of the nation from the internationally recognized government. With half of the population in need of aid and nearly 5 million displaced, it has also sparked one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes in history.