Civilian casualties drop by
half during first month of ceasefire
109 civilian casualties were reported in Yemen during April 2022, marking a 48% decrease on the month before. This is also the second-lowest monthly civilian casualty count on CIMP records. The decrease coincides with the start of a two-month countrywide ceasefire, which entered into force on 2 April. When the ceasefire's exact dates are taken into consideration, the difference in civilian casualties is even more notable, dropping by more than 50%, from 213 in the month before the ceasfire commenced, to 95 in the month since. The ceasefire has seen a de-escalation in hostilities across all of the country’s main frontlines. Throughout April, CIMP recorded 57 civilian impact incidents that were driven by the overall conflict, which is the lowest to have been recorded in one month
since the project commenced at the start of 2018.
Ceasefire results in significant decrease in civilian casualties from artillery fire
As hostilities have died down in the frontline areas, the number of civilian impact incidents and associated casualties significantly decreased from March to April 2022. During March, 38 shelling incidents were reported, resulting in 57 civilian casualties. In April, these figures dropped to 22 incidents, resulting in 12 civilian casualties. Conversely, in March, 16 shelling incidents directly impacted civilian homes, displacing as many as 76 households. In April, this increased to 18 incidents displacing as many as 90 households, predominantly in Ma’rib, where a low level of
hostilities has persisted regardless of the truce agreement.
No civilian airstrike casualties in Yemen in April 2022
Another notable shift seen over the past month has been the cease in airstrike casualties. The last airstrike to be reported in Yemen was on 31 March. The start of the year saw particularly high civilian airstrike casualties on account of a mass casualty airstrike on a detention centre in Sa’dah, pushing the January airstrike casualty count up to 422. This dropped to 15 and 30 in February and March respectively, and has now dropped off entirely since the start of the ceasefire.
Uptick in drone
strikes
Despite a cessation in airstrikes, there has been a marked uptick in civilian impact incidents due to drone strikes, from one in March to 11 in April, making drone strikes the fourth-most frequently reported type of armed violence in civilian impact incidents during April. While drone strikes have resulted in damage to an estimated 55 civilian homes, during April, they did not result in any civilian casualties. Of a total 11 reported incidents, five were reported across Ta’izz governorate, four in Dali’, and two in Ma’rib.
ERW casualties remain unaffected
Despite the ceasefire, the number of countrywide civilian casualties due to remnant explosive ordnance including UXO and landmine increased from 33 in March to 37 in April,. Of the 37 reported in April, 19 were reported in Hudaydah, and another 10 in Jawf. The lack of impact of the truce on landmine and UXO casualties is indicative of the legacy threat posed by remnant explosive ordnance, even after hostilities cease. The threat posed to civilians has been exacerbated by heavy rains, as devices can drift through saturated land or float along waterways into areas previously considered to be free from mines
Shooting casualties increase
While frontline hostilities have eased over the past month, there has been a rise in isolated shooting incidents, including seven on account of disputes that escalated. Small arms fire (SAF) resulted in 50 civilian casualties over the past month, up from 34 in March. The incidents included three shootings inside mosques, two checkpoint shootings, both of which were in Jawf, and three marketplace shootings, the latter of which were the result of disputes over qat revenues. With political and economic tensions remaining high, isolated shooting incidents are likely to continue, particularly in commercial areas, including markets, and other flashpoints such as checkpoints.
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