Violations and Human Rights Crises: Houthi and Muslim Brotherhood Abuses in Yemeni Regions
The human rights violations by the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm in Yemen are escalating, especially in the context of their covert and overt alliance with the Houthi militias, particularly in areas under their joint control.
Numerous reports have revealed various crimes against civilians perpetrated by the Brotherhood‘s authorities, indicating that between the beginning of 2019 and the current year, more than 60 violations were recorded in the Marib governorate in northern Yemen.
These violations against civilians range from arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture to indiscriminate shelling of residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities, confiscation of public properties, or their destruction and looting.
Human Rights Violations
The human rights report documented systematic patterns of targeting civilians through landmines and unexploded ordnance, as well as persistent attempts to recruit children and minors. Among the violations committed by the Brotherhood‘s authorities and Houthi militias in Marib governorate were enforced disappearances, child recruitment, and looting of public properties. The report highlighted about 21 cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, and recorded 14 arrests by militias affiliated with the Brotherhood. It also noted 11 cases of attacks and destruction of public and private properties, including seven cases committed by the Houthis involving a school, a health center, and citizens’ homes. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood’s forces partially destroyed citizens’ homes in areas under their control.
Ongoing Crimes
Yemeni human rights advocate Ahmed Jabari stated that civilians and displaced persons in Marib continue to face various forms of violations, from obstructing humanitarian aid to direct military targeting, exacerbating their suffering. He pointed out that aerial and ground shelling on populated areas and direct targeting of displacement camps and sites in Marib have resulted in significant civilian casualties and damage to civilian properties.
Jabari noted that when the Houthi militias overthrew the state, they treated state resources like nomadic tribes treat water and pasture—seeing them as seasonal loot to plunder and consume for a while before moving on.
Jabari called for these human rights violations and breaches to be subject to accountability and international investigations. He emphasized the importance of forming an international committee to investigate and urged the international community to review its positions to achieve justice, peace, and stability in the region and ensure accountability.
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A previous official report from the Yemeni government’s Ministry of Interior revealed the severe abuses by the Brotherhood‘s “Islah” militias in Taiz, which doubled unprecedentedly last year, reaching 3,181 crimes, including 543 property-related offenses. Additionally, the elements seized or occupied various facilities and homes abandoned by citizens fleeing the war. Despite the formation of a government committee to return these properties to their rightful owners, the Brotherhood and Houthi militias refuse to comply with the committee’s decisions.
