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CIMP MONTHLY REPORT
JULY 2022
This is the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project monthly visual and analytical report, providing an overview of all incidents of armed violence reported to have had a direct impact on civilians in Yemen in July 2022. The report covers civilian casualties, incident distribution, type of armed violence and impact upon civilian property and infrastructure.
NATIONWIDE SNAPSHOT: CIVILIAN IMPACT FROM INCIDENTS OF ARMED VIOLENCE
 

Variable
Civilian Impact Incidents

Civilian Casualties*
(Fatalities / Injuries)

Child Casualties (Fatalities / Injuries)

Women Casualties (Fatalities / Injuries)

Total number
121

230 (57 / 173)

60 (14 / 46)

8 (2 / 6)
Compared to previous month
+ 19%

+ 34%

+ 88%


- 43%
Compared to 2021 monthly average
- 8%

+ 10%

+ 71%


- 55%
*Please note, all information and numbers included in CIMP reporting are based on information publicly available in open sources, and have not been independently verified
 
KEY ASSESSMENT POINTS
July sees second highest civilian casualty count of 2022
230 civilian casualties were reported as a result of armed violence across Yemen in July 2022, the second highest monthly civilian casualty count this year, superseded only by January, when a mass casualty airstrike incident in Sa’dah resulted in 327 casualties. The July casualty count marks an increase of 34% from the 172 civilian casualties reported in June, with Sa’dah, Abyan and Ta’izz seeing the highest civilian casualty numbers, at 46, 44 and 38 respectively. Although overall civilian casualties increased, the number of fatalities among the casualties decreased, from 63 in June to 57 in July. Child casualties, however, increased, almost doubling from 32 to 60, while women casualties decreased for the second consecutive month, down to eight from 14 in June.

Civilian ERW casualties rise to highest numbers on CIMP records, with flooding exacerbating the risk
For the fourth consecutive month, there was an increase in civilian casualties as a result of explosive remnants of war (ERW), including landmines and UXO, up to 112, almost double the 59 reported in June. The casualties were driven in large part by a mass casualty explosion in Lawdar city in Abyan, when a blast at a weapons warehouse next to the city’s arms market killed six civilians and injured another 37. Even without the mass casualty incident, ERW resulted in 69 civilian casualties, which remains the highest this year. Following Abyan, Hudaydah saw the second highest number of civilian ERW casualties, at 21, up from 16 in June. Accompanying the high ERW casualty numbers in July was extensive flooding across large swathes of the country, often overlapping with areas facing current or recent hostilities. There were reports of floodwaters washing UXO and landmines into agricultural and residential areas, and onto main roads, particularly in southern Jawf and northern Ma’rib. It is possible the flooding has exacerbated the ERW risk, by sweeping devices into areas previously considered safe, but also possibly by displacing populations into unfamiliar locations, where they may be less aware of areas that are at risk of ERW contamination.

July saw twice as many child casualties reported as June, primarily as a result of ERW
60 children were reported to have been killed (14) and injured (46) as a direct result of armed violence in Yemen in July, the highest monthly child casualty count in two years, since July 2020. More than half of the child casualties, 37, were the result of ERW explosions, including 22 children killed or injured in UXO incidents, and another 15 in landmine incidents. Children remain particularly vulnerable to UXO explosions, due to a combination of heightened inquisitiveness and a lower threat awareness. Shelling resulted in another 16 child casualties, driven in large part by a mass casualty shelling incident in Ta’izz city, which was responsible for 12 child casualties.  

Artillery fire results in the highest number of civilian casualties in one month since the start of the truce
Shellfire was responsible for the second highest number of civilian casualties across Yemen in July, at 52, marking the highest monthly total civilian shelling casualty count since the truce commenced at the start of April. The count included two incidents that were each responsible for over 10 civilian casualties. In western Sa’dah, on 10 July, at least one civilian was killed, and 16 others were injured when artillery shells hit Razih district, while in central Ta’izz city, on 22 July, a 7-year-old boy was killed and 11 other children aged between three and 13 years were injured when artillery shells hit Ar Rawda neighbourhood in Al-Qahirah district.

As insecurity proliferates, shooting incidents drive further civilian casualties across the country
Small arms fire (SAF) shooting incidents also continue to contribute to a high proportion of civilian casualties across the country, primarily driven by isolated incidents, including escalating disputes, street fighting among localised armed groups, and tribal issues. In July, SAF was responsible for 40 civilian casualties, and although this marks a slight decrease from 42 in June, remains above the monthly average number of civilian SAF casualties seen so far this year. Locations of SAF incidents reported to have resulted in civilian casualties were diverse, but Ta’izz saw the highest SAF casualty count, at 13, as a result of seven separate incidents, both in Ta’izz city and in the wider governorate.

Increasing reports of drone incidents impacting civilian houses in Ta’izz and Dali’
July marks the fourth consecutive month to see an increase in reports of drone incidents, with 29 reported cross-country, at near-daily frequency, a 21% increase on last month’s 24. Resultant civilian casualties remain low, at two, marking an 89% reduction from June, which saw 18 civilian drone casualties. Nearly half of the drone incidents reported during July (14) were in Dali’, and among those, 10 were reported in Qa’atabah district. Western Ta’izz saw the second-highest number of drone incidents, at seven, all of which were reported in Maqbanah district. Drone incidents impacted as many as 133 houses throughout July, a 29% increase on the 103 homes impacted by drones in June. Dali’ saw the highest number of impacted houses, at 58, 39 of which were reported in Qa’atabah district. This was followed by 35 houses impacted in Maqbanah district, Ta’izz. While reports of drone strikes continue, there have not been any reports of fighter jet airstrikes on the country since the truce commenced.

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

 
 
The Civilian Impact Monitoring Project is a monitoring mechanism for the collection, analysis and dissemination of open source data on the civilian impact from armed violence in Yemen, in order to inform and complement protection programming.
 
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