February civilian casualty count higher than 2021 monthly average
220 civilian casualties were killed or injured by armed violence in Yemen in February 2022. Despite marking a decrease of two thirds from January 2022 (666), the February civilian casualty count remained above the 2021 monthly average of 209 civilian casualties. The unprecedentedly high civilian casualty count seen in January 2022 was driven in part by airstrikes on a prison in Sa’dah, which resulted in 327 casualties. As a result, airstrikes were responsible for 422 civilian casualties in January, but this decreased to 15 in February, the lowest seen since October 2021.
12 civilian casualties in airstrike incident in Hajjah, including women and children
Hajjah saw an
increase in civilian casualties from January to February, up to 17 from one casualty in January. This marked the highest civilian casualty count in the governorate since September 2019, and was driven in large part by a mass casualty airstrike incident in Abs district. On 21 February, a 12-year-old girl and a 50-year-old woman were killed and 10 other civilians, including women and children, were injured when airstrikes hit a house in Al-Jarr area. The incident also served to highlight the vulnerability of women and children when domestic spaces are impacted by armed violence.
Uptick in border violence in Sa’dah results in 100 civilian casualties
Sa’dah again saw the highest civilian casualties in the country, at
105, almost half of the countrywide total. Despite seeing a drop from January, shellfire was responsible for more civilian casualties than any other type of armed violence during February 2022, at 83, two thirds of whom were the result of cross border shellfire in western Sa’dah. There was also a countrywide increase in the number of civilian casualties as a result of light weapons fire in February 2022, up to 50, from 22 in January. All but five of the casualties were reported in Sa’dah. Civilians remain at high risk of harm from armed violence in Sa’dah, with the governorate continuing to see consistently among the highest casualty numbers in the country, particularly in the border districts of Monabbih, where cross-border shellfire and border patrol shootings persist on a near daily basis. A high number of foreign nationals from East African countries with a migration profile are understood to be among the casualties.
Remnant explosive ordnance is an enduring threat, particularly in frontline governorates
41 civilian casualties were reported on account of remnant explosive ordnance, including UXO and landmines, during February 2022, marking a slight decrease from January. The number of civilian landmine casualties saw a significant decrease of more than a half, down from 46 to 21, including eight in each of Hudaydah and Ma’rib. The number of UXO casualties, meanwhile, increased, up from four in January to 20, including seven in Hudaydah, and five in each of Ma’rib and Sa’dah. Hudaydah has been seeing heightened reports of landmine and UXO casualties since the frontlines shifted in November 2021. The fierce hostilities in Ma’rib over the past year have also
resulted in a heightened risk of harm to civilians from remnant explosives.
Decrease in civilian casualties reported in Ma’rib and Shabwah
With January seeing high numbers of civilian casualties in Ma’rib (61) and Shabwah (67), these figures dropped down to 16 and 2 respectively in February 2022. A large proportion of the January casualties were the result of missile strikes, including two mass casualty incidents, one of which resulted in 39 civilian casualties in Ma’rib city, and the other in 10 civilian casualties at a market in Usaylan district. Hostilities have somewhat calmed in Shabwah over the past month, and there have been no mass civilian casualty missile incidents reported in either Shabwah or
Ma’rib. The risk, nonetheless, remains.
Women and child casualties as two IDP sites impacted by armed violence in February 2022
There were two reports of IDP sites being impacted by shellfire in Yemen in February 2022, in Ta’izz and Hajjah. On 13 February, three children and a woman were injured when artillery shells hit an IDP site in Al-Abdallah area in Maqbanah district, Ta’izz. Earlier in the month, on 3 February, an IDP site was hit by missiles in Bani Fadil in Hayran district, Hajjah, although no casualties were reported. Such incidents serve to exacerbate the vulnerability of those who have already been displaced at least once, threatening further displacement. Another 169 households were estimated to have
been displaced in Yemen over the past month as a result of armed violence impacting civilian houses.
For more detailed or area-specific assessments, please reach out to the CIMP team via the address below.
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