Faith Nyasuguta
At least 68 African migrants have been killed in a U.S. airstrike that hit a detention center in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Saada province, according to the armed group’s media outlet, Al Masirah. The incident, which occurred just before dawn, has triggered a wave of condemnation and raised serious concerns over the human toll of escalating military operations in the region.
The migrants, mostly Ethiopians and a few Somalis, were asleep when the strikes hit the facility, which housed over 100 detainees. Al Masirah reports four separate impacts on the building, with 47 more people injured, many critically. Harrowing video footage from the scene shows bodies buried under rubble and first responders retrieving the dead in a shell of a building missing walls and a roof.
One survivor told reporters, “The strike hit us while we were sleeping, that’s it.” Another witness, Ibrahim Cabdulqaadir Macallin, the head of the Somali community in Yemen, described the aftermath as “tragic and horrific,” noting that some victims were so badly burned they were unrecognizable. He added that the detention center wasn’t near any known military base and stood in an open area, raising questions about how it became a target.
The U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) acknowledged awareness of the civilian casualty reports. A U.S. defense official said they were “taking the reports seriously” and had launched a battle-damage assessment and internal inquiry.
The airstrike occurred as part of an intensified U.S. campaign against the Houthis, ordered by President Donald Trump on March 15. According to CENTCOM, the military has struck more than 800 targets since then, claiming to have killed hundreds of fighters and senior Houthi leaders involved in drone and missile programs. However, while the Houthis confirm civilian casualties from these strikes, they’ve reported few losses among their ranks.
This latest incident has fueled accusations that the U.S. campaign is disproportionately affecting civilians. The Houthi-run interior ministry called the bombing a “deliberate war crime,” pointing to the absence of military targets nearby.
Humanitarian agencies have responded with alarm. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed sadness over the deaths and urged all parties to protect civilian lives and comply with international law. “We stand ready to offer support,” the IOM said, although it does not operate at that particular facility. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that Yemen Red Crescent Society teams had helped evacuate the wounded and were working to manage the dead respectfully.
Monday’s deadly strike mirrors a similarly devastating incident in 2022, when a Saudi-led coalition air raid hit a detention center just 100 meters away, killing at least 66 people. The repetition of such tragedies highlights ongoing risks for vulnerable populations caught in Yemen’s brutal conflict.
Adding to the chaos, Al Masirah reported eight more deaths from overnight U.S. strikes in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital. CENTCOM has admitted to intentionally withholding strike details to “preserve operational security,” suggesting more attacks could be underway or imminent.
Despite over a decade of war, Yemen continues to receive tens of thousands of African migrants every year. Many flee instability, drought, and economic hardship in countries like Ethiopia and Somalia, hoping to eventually cross into Saudi Arabia for work. But for many, Yemen becomes a nightmare. Migrants face exploitation, detention, and violence, with detention centers often overcrowded and unsanitary. In 2024 alone, nearly 61,000 migrants arrived in Yemen by sea, many with no support system or means to survive.
Thousands remain in detention under Houthi control, but there are no verified records of their exact numbers or conditions. Rights groups say mistreatment and abuse are rampant.
This isn’t the first time the U.S. has been accused of causing civilian deaths in Yemen. Just weeks earlier, airstrikes on the Ras Isa oil terminal killed at least 74 people and injured 171. While CENTCOM insisted that attack was aimed at disrupting Houthi revenue streams from oil, local authorities said the terminal was civilian-run and the attack was a war crime.
President Trump, in ordering the renewed strikes, vowed to “completely annihilate” the Houthis and warned Iran, long accused of supporting the group,not to arm them. Tehran denies direct involvement, but Washington claims evidence of Iranian-supplied weapons and training for Houthi forces.
CENTCOM has stated it will keep escalating pressure on the Houthis “until the objective is met” which it defines as restoring American deterrence and ensuring free navigation through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
In response to Monday’s strike, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sare’e claimed that the group had retaliated by firing ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles at the USS Harry S Truman and other U.S. targets in the region. He also said they had launched a drone toward the Israeli city of Ashkelon, though Israeli defense forces confirmed it had been intercepted.
The Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks on international ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters since November 2023, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war. They have sunk two vessels, seized another, and killed four crew members. While they claim to only target ships tied to the U.S, U.K or Israel, many of the victims have had no clear links to those countries.
Despite the deployment of Western naval forces to protect commercial shipping, the Houthi campaign has not let up. Previous U.S. airstrikes under President Joe Biden did little to deter them. After taking office in January, Trump redesignated the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” a label Biden had earlier removed, citing humanitarian concerns.
Yemen’s civil war, which began in earnest in 2015 after the Houthis seized the northwest of the country, has killed more than 150,000 people and displaced 4.8 million. Today, nearly half the population, some 19.5 million people, depend on humanitarian aid to survive. The situation has worsened with every new round of foreign intervention, leaving civilians and migrants alike in an ever-deepening crisis.
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