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Annual Briefing on the State of Human Rights in Yemen for 2025
Mwatana for Human Rights stated, in its annual briefing on the state of human rights for 2025, that it documented 1,296 incidents of violations committed by various parties to the conflict in Yemen during the period from 1 January to 31 December 2025. These violations resulted in the killing of at least 293 civilians, including at least 105 children and 38 women, and the injury of at least 520 civilians, including at least 218 children and 63 women. In addition, at least 1058 civilians, including at least 206 children and 76 women, were victims of other forms of violations, such as the recruitment and use of children, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and forced displacement.
According to the organization’s briefing, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group bears responsibility for 626 incidents of violations out of the total documented cases. The internationally recognized Yemeni government, including formations affiliated with the Islah Party, is responsible for 310 incidents. The Southern Transitional Council bears responsibility for 265 incidents, while the Saudi/UAE-led coalition, including the Saudi Border Guard, is responsible for 41 incidents. The United States of America bears responsibility for 23incidents, and Israeli forces for 12 incidents. The Joint Forces are responsible for 11 incidents, and terrorist organizations for 7 incidents, and Mwatana’s team was unable to determine the responsible party for one incidents involving explosive remnants of war.
Mwatana added that attacks on civilian infrastructure facilities, including ports, airports, power and fuel stations, along with arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, targeting of humanitarian workers, and the recruitment and use of children, were among the most prominent human rights violations that topped the list of documented patterns of violations during 2025.
Radhiya Al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, said:
“For more than eleven years, civilians in Yemen have been subjected to various forms of appalling violations, persistently committed against them by different parties to the conflict—local, regional, and international. These violations continued at a high rate and on a wide scale throughout 2025, amid increasing repression, the absence of the rule of law, and the entrenchment of a policy of impunity.”
Al-Mutawakel added:
“During 2025, vital infrastructure facilities and civilian objects were targeted on an unprecedented scale, and campaigns of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, along with other violations, escalated, in blatant disregard for all national and international laws and legislation. This reflects the continued and profound failure of the warring parties over years to fulfill their moral and legal obligations toward civilians.”
Mwatana also stated that its field team of researchers and lawyers across all regions of Yemen conducted 2,179 interviews during 2025 with survivors, victims’ families, friends, health workers, first responders, and eyewitnesses, all of whom provided their testimonies and statements to the organization after being informed of the purpose of the documentation and giving their informed consent.
The organization’s field team further carried out 2,857field visits in various areas, including the most dangerous regions. Mwatana obtained hundreds of supporting documents, including photographs, reports, identification documents, and video footage. All documented incidents were subject to review and verification by central researchers and lawyers, Research and Studies Unit officers, Legal Support Unit officers, and relevant departments and units.
Mwatana emphasized that the statistics presented in its annual briefing represent only the violations documented by the organization through its field team across different governorates, which operates amid serious threats, high risks, and severe restrictions imposed by various parties. The annual briefing does not encompass all incidents and patterns of violations that actually occurred during the year. Mwatana also noted that its field team continues to document violations committed by all parties across Yemen, and that the organization will present more comprehensive information on incidents and patterns of violations in its ninth annual report on the state of human rights in 2025.
Key Patterns of Violations During 2025
With the aim of providing a clear picture of the human rights situation during 2025, Mwatana for Human Rights, in its annual briefing, presents the most prominent incidents and patterns of violations it documented, committed by the various parties to the conflict in Yemen. These include the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, the forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, including formations affiliated with the Islah Party, the forces of the Southern Transitional Council in their various formations, the United States of America, Israeli forces, the Saudi/UAE-led coalition, including the Saudi Border Guard, the Joint Forces, and the U.S.–UK coalition.
First: Airstrikes
Mwatana for Human Rights documented at least 38 airstrikes targeting unlawful civilian objects during 2025, including two drone strikes and two strikes carried out by locally manufactured drones. These attacks resulted in the killing of at least 154 civilians, including 36 children and 20 women, and the injury of at least 246 civilians, all including at least 50 children and 30 women.
The United States of America bears responsibility for 23airstrikes, Israeli forces for 12 airstrikes.And the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group is responsible for two locally manufactured drone attacks, while the Saudi Border Guard is responsible for one drone strike.
In particular, Israeli attacks focused on targeting civilian infrastructure facilities and vital civilian objects in Yemen, including ports, electricity generation stations in Sana’a and Al Hudaydah, Sana’a International Airport, and other critical civilian sites.
Second: Campaigns of Arbitrary Detention, Enforced Disappearance, and Torture
During 2025, Mwatana for Human Rights documented 564 cases of arbitrary detention, 88 cases of enforced disappearance, and 87 cases of torture. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group bears responsibility for 376 of the documented cases, having carried out a series of arbitrary detention campaigns throughout 2025 during which it detained dozens of civilians in successive waves. Those detained included local peace mediators, academics, writers, journalists, human rights defenders, government employees, leaders and members of political parties, participants in peaceful events related to the anniversary of the 26 September Revolution, as well as humanitarian, development, and diplomatic workers, and staff of UN agencies and organizations, and international and local organizations. These arrests took place in Sana’a, Dhamar, Al Hudaydah, Ibb, Sa‘dah, parts of Taiz and Al Dhale‘, and other areas under the group’s control. The group’s authorities also referred groups of detainees for trial before the Specialized Criminal Court.
The internationally recognized government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party bear responsibility for 179 cases, the Southern Transitional Council for 158 cases, the Saudi/UAE-led coalition for 20 cases, the Joint Forces for 3 cases.
Third: Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War
During 2025, Mwatana for Human Rights documented at least 82incidents involving landmines and explosive remnants of war, including 49 incidents involving explosive objects and 33 landmine incidents. These incidents included explosions of both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines, booby traps and improvised explosive devices, as well as remnants of weapons such as empty ammunition containers, hand grenades, improvised explosive devices, and other ground-launched projectiles.
These incidents resulted in the killing of at least 47 civilians including at least 26 children and 5 women, and the injury of at least 150 civilians, including at least 88 children and 15 women. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group bears responsibility for 29 incidents involving explosive objects and 33 landmine incidents, while the internationally recognized government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party bear responsibility for 14 incidents involving explosive objects. The Southern Transitional Council is responsible for 4 incidents involving explosive objects, and terrorist organizations for 3 such incidents. In one incidents involving explosive objects, Mwatana was unable to identify the responsible party.
Fourth: Child Recruitment and Use
Violations related to the recruitment and use of children topped the list of violations committed by the various warring parties and documented during 2025. Mwatana for Human Rights documented 141 cases of child recruitment and use during the year. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group bears responsibility for 62 cases, the internationally recognized government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party for 40 cases, the Southern Transitional Council for 35 cases, and the Joint Forces for 4 cases of child recruitment and use.
Fifth: Attacks on Schools and Hospitals
Mwatana for Human Rights documented 62 attacks on schools and hospitals, including 51 attacks on schools and 11 attacks on hospitals and health facilities. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group bears responsibility for 46 attacks on and use of schools and 4 attacks on and use of hospitals. The internationally recognized Yemeni government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party bear responsibility for 4 attacks on and use of schools and 4 attack on and use of hospitals, while the Southern Transitional Council bears responsibility for 3 attacks on and use of hospitals of the total documented incidents.
Sixth: Live Ammunition
Mwatana for Human Rights documented 71 incidents involving live ammunition, resulting in the killing of 24 civilians, including 6 children and 3 women, and the injury of 65 civilians, including 40 children and 9 women. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group bears responsibility for 30 incidents involving live ammunition, while the internationally recognized government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party are responsible for 17 incidents, and the Southern Transitional Council for 15 incidents. The Saudi Border Guard bears responsibility for 9 incidents of the total documented cases. These incidents include both direct and ricochet live fire.
Seventh: Restrictions on Public Freedoms
Mwatana for Human Rights documented 40 incidents of restrictions on public freedoms, including 30 incidents involving attacks on civic space and 10 incidents restricting freedom of movement. The internationally recognized Yemeni government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party bear responsibility for 24 incidents, the Southern Transitional Council for 13 incidents, and the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group for 3 incidents.
Eighth: Ground Attacks
Mwatana for Human Rights documented 25 incidents of ground shelling, resulting in the killing of 18 civilians, including 13 children and 3 women, and the injury of 28 civilians, including 20 children and 2 women. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group bears responsibility for 18 incidents of ground shelling, while the Saudi Border Guard bears responsibility for 7 incidents of the total documented cases.
Ninth: Run-Over Incidents Involving Military Vehicles
Mwatana for Human Rights documented 21 incidents in which civilians were run over by military vehicles, resulting in the killing of 11 civilians, including 6 children and 2 women, and the injury of 17 civilians, all children. The Southern Transitional Council bears responsibility for 10 incidents, the internationally recognized Yemeni government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party for 6 incidents, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group for 3 incidents, and the Saudi/UAE-led coalition for one incident.
Tenth: Denial of Humanitarian Access
Mwatana for Human Rights documented 29 incidents of obstruction of humanitarian assistance during 2025. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group bears responsibility for 16 incidents of the total documented cases, while the Southern Transitional Council bears responsibility for 10 incidents. , the internationally recognized Yemeni government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party for 2 incidents, and the Shabwa Defense Forces affiliated with the Saudi/UAE-led coalition for one incident.
Eleventh: Sexual Violence
During 2025, Mwatana for Human Rights documented 20 incidents of sexual violence, 19 of which involved child victims. These incidents encompassed various forms of sexual violence, ranging from sexual harassment to rape and sexual exploitation. The Southern Transitional Council bears responsibility for 9 incidents of sexual violence, the internationally recognized government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party for 6 incidents, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group for two incidents, the Joint Forces for two incidents, and the Saudi/UAE-led coalition for one incident of the total documented cases.
Twelfth: Continued Targeting of Mwatana’s Work
As a result of its human rights work, Mwatana for Human Rights—as an organization, its management, and its female and male staff—has, over the past years and on a recurrent basis, been subjected to a wide range of violations. These have included incitement campaigns, defamation and smear efforts, attempts at intimidation and terrorization, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, physical assaults, restrictions on freedom of movement and travel bans, multiple and varied hacking and infiltration attempts, suspension of activities, direct and indirect threats and harassment, as well as threats against partner organizations, institutions, and civil society workers, among other violations. This section of the briefing outlines the most significant incidents targeting Mwatana during 2025.
On 17 April 2025, the authorities in Taiz city, affiliated with the Islah Party and the internationally recognized government, issued a circular ordering a ban on the activities of Mwatana for Human Rights. The circular included serious threats against any entities or individuals who interact with the organization, and contained irresponsible accusations that sought to classify Mwatana for Human Rights and its Chairperson, Radhiya Al-Mutawakel, as a party to the conflict, without any factual basis. Concurrently with the issuance of the circular, Taiz authorities and affiliated networks launched a broad campaign of incitement and intimidation against Mwatana’s team, the organization’s Chairperson, activists, and civil society organizations. This campaign included threats of prosecution and retaliation for any participation in Mwatana’s activities. Military and security leaders took part in the campaign, indicating the existence of unlawful security and military directives to arrest the Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, Radhiya Al-Mutawakel, immediately upon her entry into Taiz city, and threatening to pursue any entities or individuals cooperating with the organization and its Chairperson.
On 23 April 2025, a large security force affiliated with the internationally recognized government raided a hotel in Seiyun and halted a training workshop being conducted by a Mwatana team. The workshop was not allowed to continue. Following security interrogations and the suspension of the training, the team was not permitted to leave Seiyun. They were only allowed to depart later, on the third day, Friday, 25 April 2025.
On 8 October 2025, the website of Al-Masirah TV, the media outlet affiliated with the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, published a report entitled “A Suspicious American and Zionist Move and Its Tools against Yemen!”. The report sought to portray Mwatana and aspects of its human rights work as part of U.S. military operations against Yemen, within the context of a broader campaign launched by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group against the work of a large number of organizations.
On 26 October 2025, the Security and Intelligence Service affiliated with the authorities of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group summoned one of Mwatana’s field researchers, who remains detained as of the date of issuance of this briefing.
On 27 November 2025, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, affiliated with the internationally recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council, issued a circular prohibiting any engagement with Mwatana for Human Rights in areas under the control of several parties operating within the framework of the internationally recognized government and the Presidential Leadership Council. This followed a series of violations and repressive measures carried out for years by the internationally recognized government and the Saudi/UAE-led coalition, in retaliation for Mwatana’s independent human rights work. The government memorandum exploited the designation of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States government, and accused Mwatana of acting on behalf of the group’s agenda, as a pretext to target the organization and undermine its work.
Throughout 2025, campaigns of incitement, defamation, and reputation-smearing, as well as attempts at intimidation and terrorization, continued against Mwatana for Human Rights, its management, and its staff.
Thirteenth: Other Violations
This section presents patterns of violations for which the total number of documented incidents during the period covered by the briefing is fewer than 14 incidents, namely:
Mwatana for Human Rights documented 12 incidents of extrajudicial killing, defined as killings carried out without due legal process and in the absence of the guarantees of justice and fairness embodied in fair trial standards and procedural safeguards. These incidents resulted in the killing of 12 civilians, including 2children and 3 women. The internationally recognized government and formations affiliated with the Islah Party bear responsibility for 6 incidents of extrajudicial killing, while the Southern Transitional Council bears responsibility for 5 incidents. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group is responsible for one incident of the total documented cases.
Mwatana for Human Rights documented 8 incidents of assaults on civilians involving beating and stabbing, for which the internationally recognized government bears responsibility for 6 incidents while the Southern Transitional Council bears responsibility for 2 incidents.
Mwatana for Human Rights documented one incident of forced drowning, which occurred in Al-Shamayatayn District, Taiz Governorate, in July 2025, in which a 14-year-old child was thrown into a water pool after being subjected to sexual violence, leading to his death. The Joint Forces bear responsibility for this incident.
Mwatana for Human Rights documented 4 incidents of looting of property during 2025, for which the Southern Transitional Council bears responsibility for 3 incidents while the internationally recognized government bears responsibility for 1 incident.
Fourteenth: The Humanitarian Situation in Yemen
The ongoing armed conflict in Yemen since 2014 has led to a severe deterioration in the humanitarian situation of the population. Millions suffer from shortages of food, water, and health care, while the obstruction of humanitarian assistance in its various forms, as well as the hindering and restriction of its access to beneficiaries and the most vulnerable groups, has further exacerbated the situation and the crisis faced by people in Yemen.
The armed conflict has significantly increased the number of people at risk of poverty and famine. According to United Nations estimates, approximately 19.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and 17.1 million are experiencing food insecurity. This reflects the gravity of the humanitarian situation and the direct impact of the conflict and its various repercussions, foremost among them restrictions on humanitarian aid and their effect on the humanitarian conditions in Yemen.
Mwatana noted that the education sector has experienced increasing deterioration throughout the years of conflict, due to negative factors such as the widespread destruction of schools, which has resulted in 4.5 million Yemeni children being out of school. In addition, some schools are used as shelters for internally displaced persons or are occupied by armed groups, further exacerbating the crisis of access to education. This is compounded by poor security conditions, restrictions on movement, and ongoing threats, which deprive many children of the ability to attend school. Shortages of resources, teachers, and curricula have also affected the quality of education, alongside the psychological impacts on children who have been exposed to traumatic events as a result of the war, leading to mental health challenges that negatively affect their ability to learn and engage in the school environment.
Mwatana further added that the health sector, as one of the vital sectors, has witnessed continuous deterioration since the beginning of the conflict. A large proportion of health facilities and establishments are either destroyed or damaged and unable to operate at full capacity. Shortages of medicines and essential medical supplies constitute another manifestation of the sector’s decline, in addition to the spread of infectious diseases. Children are among the groups most affected by the health crisis and the deterioration of the health sector in Yemen.
During 2025, humanitarian programs in Yemen experienced an unprecedented reduction, due on the one hand to regional and local developments, and on the other hand to violations targeting dozens of humanitarian workers. This was further compounded by donors’ reluctance to fund the Humanitarian Response Plan.
Escalation in Hadhramout and Al Mahrah Governorates
During December 2025, formations affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, with support from the United Arab Emirates, took control of the Hadhramout and Al Mahrah governorates in eastern Yemen. This occurred in parallel with an escalation in campaigns inciting violence, fueling hate speech, and provoking regional, sectarian, and confessional tensions, contributing to the fragmentation of the social fabric and the squandering of opportunities for coexistence, national reconciliation, and peace. These practices took place across social media platforms, traditional media outlets, public forums, and various popular gatherings and events.
Peace Efforts in Yemen
The year 2025 witnessed a series of developments that negatively affected peace efforts in Yemen. These included the continued operations of the “Prosperity Guardian” coalition led by the United States and the United Kingdom, and U.S. airstrikes conducted as part of Operation “Rough Rider” between 15 March and 6 May 2025. They also included Israeli attacks on vital civilian facilities and objects in Yemen—such as ports, electricity generation stations in Sana’a and Al Hudaydah, Sana’a International Airport, and other critical civilian sites—as well as attacks carried out by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group in the Red Sea, concurrent with the Israeli military operation and the grave crimes and violations committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.
Further developments included arrest campaigns carried out by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group against staff of UN agencies and international and local organizations, the renewal of armed clashes in several Yemeni governorates, including Taiz and others, as well as the escalating military and political developments witnessed in Hadhramout and Al Mahrah since December 2025, particularly in relation to the struggle for influence among various forces.
All of these developments, with their various repercussions, had a negative impact on the human rights situation in Yemen and the humanitarian situation from multiple angles. They created numerous challenges for humanitarian action, hindered civilians’ ability to access services and basic needs, imposed compounded restrictions on civil action and public and personal freedoms—foremost among them freedom of movement, expression, and peaceful assembly—and further reduced the prospects for peace to which Yemenis aspire.
Despite the negative developments throughout 2025, the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen announced on Tuesday, 23 December 2025, the achievement of an agreement on a new phase of the release of detainees from all parties to the conflict in Yemen. This announcement came at the conclusion of the tenth meeting of the Supervisory Committee for the Implementation of the Stockholm Agreement on the Release of Detainees, which was held over twelve days in the Omani capital, Muscat, and was co-chaired by the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Call for Achieving a Historic Settlement to Address All Grievances and Violations
In its annual briefing, Mwatana for Human Rights called on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease committing violations, comply with the rules and principles of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, close unlawful detention facilities, immediately release arbitrarily detained individuals, disclose the fate of those forcibly disappeared, investigate human rights violations, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide redress to victims.
Mwatana for Human Rights emphasized that experience has consistently shown that each round of conflict adds new grievances and violations to Yemen’s already heavy legacy of injustices accumulated over decades. Mwatana reiterated that the only way out of the labyrinth of destructive cycles of conflict lies in an inclusive dialogue that achieves a historic national settlement addressing all grievances and violations, and guaranteeing the rights, interests, and aspirations of all Yemeni women and men within the framework of a state based on equal citizenship, justice, the rule of law, and political, cultural, social, and intellectual pluralism.
Mwatana renewed its call on the international community to work toward achieving a just and sustainable peace in Yemen, to give human rights issues priority across all programs and initiatives, to work toward a permanent ceasefire, to establish criminal investigative mechanisms to investigate all violations—particularly the most serious international crimes—and to push for the referral of the situation in Yemen to the International Criminal Court, in a manner that ensures accountability, justice, and redress for victims of violations.
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The briefing was revised on January 22, 2026
