CIMP Monthly Report - April 2024

April saw an overall decline in civilian casualty numbers
Armed violence was responsible for a reported 89 civilian casualties in April 2024, down 16% from the 106 civilian casualties reported in March 2024, and the second lowest monthly total seen so far this year. 35 civilian fatalities were among the casualties, also marking a decrease from last month, when 40 fatalities were reported. Landmines and UXO collectively accounted for almost half of the casualties reported in April 2024, at 40. This is the first time explosive remnants of warfare (ERW) have superseded small arms fire (SAF) as the main driver of civilian casualties since February 2023. Ta’izz saw the highest civilian casualty numbers, at 17, followed by 11 in each of Sa’dah and Abyan.

Increased proportion of children among the civilian casualties reported in April
Despite the overall decrease in civilian casualties, the number of children reported to have been killed or injured by armed violence increased. 19 child casualties were reported in April 2024, an increase of 46% from the 13 reported in March, and the second highest monthly child casualty count this year. Seven children were killed, and another 12 were injured. Seven fatalities marks the highest monthly child fatality count seen since November 2023. Over half of the child casualties reported in April (11) were the result of ERW, marking the highest child ERW casualty count to be reported in one month since November 2023. Moreover, half of the child ERW casualties in April were reported in Dali’; a shift to the norm, with the majority of child ERW casualties typically being reported in Hudaydah. On 18 April, three children were injured in a UXO blast in Az Zubayriat area in Qa’atabah district, and five days later, another three children were injured by a UXO explosion, also in Qa’atabah district, in the Hajar area.

April 2024 saw the highest ERW civilian casualty count in over a year
Explosive remnants of warfare (ERW), including landmines and UXO, accounted for the highest civilian casualty numbers over the past month, at 40. This is the highest monthly ERW casualty count to be reported in Yemen in over a year, since January 2023, and is more than double the 16 civilian ERW casualties reported in March 2024. Hudaydah saw more ERW casualties than any other governorate, at eight, followed by seven in each of Jawf and Abyan. The seven in Abyan were all the result of one incident; on 10 April, a landmine detonated as a vehicle was passing through the border areas between Lawdar district and southern Bayda, a frontline area that continues to see sporadic hostilities, killing one civilian and injuring six others, including four women. They were the first ERW casualties the governorate has seen since one in April 2023, and prior to that, since May 2022. In Jawf, too, all seven ERW casualties, including three fatalities, were the result of a car going over a landmine. The incident took place in Al-Yatamah, which is a particular flashpoint for landmine incidents in Khabb wa ash Sha’af district.

There was a decrease in civilian casualties reported as a result of small arms fire in April 2024
There was a decrease in civilian casualties reported as a result of shooting incidents, down to 22 from 34 in March 2024, marking the lowest monthly SAF casualty count since October 2023. In the shooting incident to see the highest civilian casualties, on 22 April, one civilian was shot dead and three were injured when a car came under fire near a checkpoint in Rada city, following a tribal vengeance dispute. Two children were also killed in shootings this month, including a 10-year-old-boy who was killed in the crossfire of clashes that broke out between armed factions in Al-Mashannah, Ibb, following a land dispute, and a child who was shot dead by a guard when attempting to enter a school in Aflah Al-Yaman, Hajjah. Another civilian who attempted to intervene was also injured in the incident. Incidents in or near educational facilities put children directly in harm’s way, and can hinder children’s access to education.

April 2024 saw the highest monthly sniper casualty count since August 2023
Also on the theme of shootings, sniper fire was responsible for six civilian casualties over the past month, up 50% from the four reported in March 2024, and the highest monthly sniper casualty count to be reported in Yemen since August 2023. Two of the casualties were children. All six of the sniper casualties reported in April were in Ta’izz, which has seen all but one of the 15 civilian sniper casualties reported so far in 2024. In 2023, 40 of 47 civilian sniper casualties were reported in Ta’izz. Of the six civilian sniper casualties reported in Ta’izz in April, three were reported in Salh district in eastern Ta’izz city, two in Sabir Al-Mawadim district, which was a particular flashpoint last year, and one in southern Ta’izz, in Hayfan district.

For more detailed or area-specific assessments, please reach out to the CIMP team directly via the address below.