Dozens of people were killed on Monday in an attack that hit a migrant structure in an area of the northern Yemen controlled by the Houthi militia, according to the officials of the group and aid.
The Houthi militia, supported by Iran, said that an American strike hit what the group called a migrant center in Saada, killing at least 68 African migrants.
An official of the United States Defense Department stated that the central command was “aware of the claims of civil victims relating to the United States strikes in Yemen and we take these statements very seriously”. The official declared that he was conducting an assessment of the damage and an investigation into the statements of the Houthi.
The attack arrived hours after the American army said that American forces had conducted more than 800 strikes in Yemen since mid -March in a campaign against the Houthi. He said that the campaign has targeted “multiple command and control structures, air defense systems, advanced weapons production and advanced weapons storage positions”-but has not mentioned civilian victims.
Houthi officials said that more than 100 civilians have been killed and condemned the last strike as an “atrocious crime against African migrants”.
The Houthis and the US military made statements in competition on those who were responsible for civil deaths in recent strikes. Last week, a spokesman for the United States Central Command declared that an explosion on April 20 who killed 12 people in the Yemenita capital had been caused by a Houthi missile erroneously, not by an American strike as Houthi had said.
On Monday, the graphic filming broadcast by the news channel of Al-Masirah controlled by Houthi showed bodies scattered among the rubble in Saada. In addition to the dozen who were killed, at least 40 migrants were injured, according to two help officials in Yemen who spoke on condition of anonymity while further verified the circumstances of the attack.
The United Nations said they were deeply alarmed by the relationships of an air attack on the migrant structure, adding that they had received relationships from colleagues according to which Saada hospitals had been overwhelmed due to their limited capacity.
“Two nearby hospitals have already received more than 50 wounded, many of whom are critically injured,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the United Nations Secretary General. “These numbers could increase as research and rescue efforts continue, which are guided by rescuers on the front line.”
The Houthis affirmed that the migrant center operated under the supervision of the international organization for migration and the International Red Cross Committee, a statement that both organizations denying.
The international organization for migration stated that it did not work at the structure but that it was monitoring the situation and was “ready to offer support as needed”.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said that she had not managed the structure or supervised or supervised, but that the Red Cross and the Yemen Red Crescent Society were working to evacuate the wounded to nearby hospitals.
Every year, tens of thousands of African migrants attempt the dangerous journey through the narrow strait that separates the Horn of Africa from the Arabic peninsula, hoping to reach rich states of the Gulf north of Yemen. Almost 60,900 migrants arrived in Yemen only in 2024, according to the international organization for migration.
The current conflict and the political instability of Yemen made it an increasingly dangerous destination for migrants. African migrants face exploitation, abuse and sexual exploitation, according to aid groups.
In the last year, the Houthi have launched rockets and drones to Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying that their actions are solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
The United States intensified a bombing campaign against the Houthi starting from March 15, based on the orders of President Trump, who promised to continue military operations until the Houthi represent a threat anymore.
On Monday, the military representative of the Houthi, Yahya Saree, has promised a television declaration to continue to create attacks in the Red Sea.
ABDI date Reports contributed by Nairobi, in Kenya.