Rights group says April 2025 airstrike on Saada detention centre was indiscriminate, as survivors recount trauma one year on with no accountability.
Amnesty International has renewed its call for a full investigation into a US airstrike on a migrant detention centre in northwestern Yemen, describing the attack as an indiscriminate assault that should be probed as a potential war crime.
The strike on 28 April 2025 hit a facility in Saada governorate run by Houthi de facto authorities, killing at least 68 African migrants-mostly Ethiopians-and injuring dozens more. Many of those held were detained solely for irregular migration.
‘It is a miracle we survived’:
Survivors interviewed by Amnesty described harrowing scenes. Migrants, locked inside the facility, reportedly pleaded with guards to be released after a nearby strike, only to face warning shots before the detention centre was hit.
One Ethiopian survivor told researchers: “I was bleeding… I had a head injury and I lost sight in one eye. It is a miracle we survived and got out of that place.” Many continue to suffer severe physical injuries and psychological trauma, with limited access to medical care or support.
The migrants were among thousands of Africans attempting the dangerous journey through Yemen toward the Gulf states in search of work, only to be intercepted and detained by Houthi forces in often abusive conditions.
Part of an expanded US military operation:
The strike occurred during the early phase of intensified US military operations in Yemen under the Trump administration, codenamed “Operation Rough Rider,” aimed at Houthi targets disrupting Red Sea shipping linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
US officials have maintained that strikes target military infrastructure and have previously acknowledged civilian harm in some cases while emphasising efforts to minimise it. However, Amnesty and other monitors have documented significant civilian casualties across the campaign.
Amnesty Urges Probe into US Strike in Yemen:
Amnesty International’s Secretary General and regional experts have urged US authorities to conduct a prompt, independent and transparent investigation, provide reparations to victims and families, and strengthen civilian protection measures.
“No one has been held accountable,” the organisation said, highlighting a pattern of impunity that undermines international law.
The US military has said it takes reports of civilian harm seriously but has not released public findings on this specific strike.
Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have also raised alarms over the broader impact of US airstrikes in Yemen on vulnerable populations, including migrants caught in the crossfire of regional conflicts.
As the one-year mark passes with survivors still awaiting justice, the case underscores the human cost of the ongoing instability in Yemen and the challenges of protecting civilians in asymmetric warfare.