Yemen’s Houthi burn migrants alive amid world silence

What happened on March 7 in a detention center in Sanaa was despicable. The Houthis were directly and consistently responsible for the killing and injury of approximately 450, mostly Ethiopian, migrants in a detention center in a fire caused by bombs apparently fired by Houthi forces.

The militia used force to end a strike by migrants who were protesting against cruel treatment, extortion and poor conditions inside the facility, the Geneva-based SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties said on the basis of interviews with some survivors.

Mwatana, a leading Yemeni human rights organization, blamed the Houthis for the fire and accused them of arbitrarily detaining survivors and relatives of the victims in order to stop them from talking about the incident.

Separately, Women Solidarity Network accused the Houthis of using live bullets and explosive devices to suppress migrant protests and demanded the UN protect survivors from such intimidation.

According to reports, the Houthis were promising migrants in hospitals the issuance of cards in return for their silence. They also rounded up illegal African migrants, including children, from their homes to force them into recruitment as fighters to send them to conflict fronts.

Barman, of the American Center for Justice, was blunt in his criticism of international organizations as well as the international community for conveniently turning a blind eye to the Houthis’ actions.

“This is a heinous crime .. the world would have made a scene if the burnt migrants were white .. if the perpetrators were not the Houthis, the Security Council would have convened immediately.” Barman said.