En 
Ar 
The ongoing conflict in Yemen echoes through the sound of rockets and the deadly blast of landmines, leaving civilians—especially children—bearing the tragic consequences of a war beyond their choosing.
During the Eid al-Fitr holiday, spanning March 31 to April 5, 2025, Houthi militias launched a series of violent attacks in the governorates of al-Hodeidah and Taiz, spreading devastation among local communities. Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) has highlighted these alarming violations, which constitute severe breaches of international law and human rights.
One of the most tragic incidents involved Mahmoud Mohammed Abdullah Abkar, a 38-year-old father, who lost his life in Durayhimi, al-Hodeidah, on March 31, 2025. Mahmoud was collecting charcoal to sustain his family when he unknowingly stepped on a landmine planted by Houthi militias. His untimely death underscores the grave danger posed by the indiscriminate and widespread placement of landmines in residential and agricultural areas, transforming once peaceful lands into perilous zones.
The impact on children remains one of the most devastating aspects of the conflict. On April 3, 2025, a Katyusha rocket struck a camp for displaced persons in al-Khokha City, al-Hodeidah governorate. The attack sent shockwaves of panic through the vulnerable community of displaced women and children, compounding the trauma endured by those already uprooted by war.
On April 4, 2025, tragedy struck the village of al-Taris in Taiz, where two young boys, Abbas Hassan Ahmed Ali (9) and Morsi Fahd Sweid (10), were playing near a dirt playground. A spark from a tree fire ignited a buried projectile, causing an explosion that left the children severely injured by scattered shrapnel. This heartbreaking incident underscores the persistent threat posed by unexploded ordnance and landmines, which continue to endanger innocent lives in conflict zones.
On April 5, 2025, another attack targeted the al-Marba’a neighborhood in Taiz. Three young girls, Malak Abdul Aleem (10), Buthaina Abdul Aleem (8), and Malak Abdul Bari (9), were injured when an artillery shell exploded in their neighborhood. The explosion left the children with severe shrapnel wounds, with two of the victims being sisters. The girls were rushed to al-Thawrah Hospital for treatment, but the emotional scars of the attack will last far longer.
WJWC emphasizes that these attacks, particularly against civilians, represent clear violations of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, which safeguard civilians in conflict zones. The use of landmines, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, and targeting of displaced camps are all acts that the international community cannot ignore. These violations, WJWC argues, are war crimes under the Rome Statute, with no statute of limitations on accountability.
The organization has condemned these acts in the strongest terms, calling them blatant assaults on human dignity and international law. The frequency of such attacks signals a troubling disregard for human rights and a challenge to global efforts to protect civilians in conflict zones.
In response, WJWC is urging the international community to take immediate action. The organization has called for an urgent international investigation into these crimes, with the aim of bringing the perpetrators to justice. WJWC also calls on the United Nations and its relevant bodies to intervene in clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance, particularly in areas under the control of the internationally recognized government of Yemen.
The organization also stresses the need for community awareness programs about the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance, which continue to pose a deadly risk to vulnerable groups, especially children and women. Furthermore, WJWC demands the protection of displaced persons' camps and residential areas from further attacks.
As Yemen's tragic conflict continues to unfold, WJWC remains committed to documenting human rights violations and shedding light on the suffering of innocent civilians. In the coming weeks, the organization plans to release an expanded report detailing these violations during Ramadan, with a focus on the role of the Houthi militias in perpetuating this cycle of violence against civilians.
