Kalashnikov Instead of a Pen: Yemeni University Students as Fuel for Houthi Fronts

11th February 2025

2 minutes read

Kalashnikov Instead of a Pen: Yemeni University Students as Fuel for Houthi Fronts

On February 6, the Yemeni province of Taiz woke up to shocking news as a group of students came under heavy gunfire inside a Houthi training camp.

The incident, which took place in Al-Hawban, east of Taiz, resulted in the death of at least two students, while several others sustained varying injuries. The Houthi militia had forced 1,500 students from the branches of Al-Hikma University and University of Science and Technology to undergo combat training as part of its program to militarize universities.

According to a military source, the Houthis kept the event strictly confidential. The student massacre occurred during a live ammunition drill, which followed the militia’s imposition of weapons training on university students.

Since December 2024, the Houthis have been forcibly enlisting students into military training programs in their controlled areas under the pretext of “preparing for confrontation with Israel and its domestic agents”.

A Houthi “Basij”

A review conducted of various university, institute, and school accounts in Houthi-held areas reveals that the group is working to establish a student force modeled after Iran’s Basij militia.

The Houthis have assigned this mission to the “Student Forum”, a security entity within universities, along with mobilization officials in districts, provinces, and educational institutions, forcing students to participate in military courses.

Thousands of students from ten public universities controlled by the Houthis, including major universities in Sanaa, Ibb, Dhamar, and Hodeidah, along with private universities and institutions like the Ma’bar Institute for Health Sciences in Dhamar, have been forcibly recruited.

The Houthis have even tied students’ coursework grades to their participation in daily military training from 8 AM onwards, according to an official document.

Militarization of Education

Colonel Abdulbasit Al-Bahr, spokesman for the Taiz military front, warns that the Houthis aim to turn students into cannon fodder.

This forced enlistment is yet another crime in the long list of Houthi violations against education.

Activist Jabr Al-Falahi called on international organizations to document these crimes to hold the Houthis accountable and protect Yemeni students from radicalization.