CIMP Monthly Report - January 2025

Civilian casualties decreased from December, but were higher than the 2024 monthly average
Armed violence resulted in 112 reported civilian casualties in January 2025. While this marked a 27% decrease from the previous month, it remained 12% higher than the 2024 monthly average. Among the casualties, 25 were fatalities. Although the number of child casualties declined, reports indicated an increase in women casualties. Small arms fire (SAF) shootings accounted for over a third of the total, with 47 casualties. Shellfire caused another 16 civilian casualties, while explosive remnants of war (ERW) were responsible for 14.

Civilian SAF casualties almost double from December to January
Small arms fire (SAF) shootings resulted in 47 civilian casualties in Yemen in January, more than double the 25 reported in December, and marking the highest monthly civilian SAF casualty count since May 2023. The deadliest incident occurred on 10 January in Ad Dhale city, where a dispute in a marketplace escalated into clashes between two armed groups, leaving two civilians dead and five others injured. Three additional marketplace shootings were reported in January, all stemming from disputes between armed groups. On 4 January, three civilians were injured in a marketplace shooting in Mayfa, Hadramawt. Later in the month, two civilians were injured when armed factions clashed in a market in Al-Qahirah, Ta’izz city on 18 January, and another two were wounded in a market shooting in Al-Maton, Jawf, on 27 January. Marketplaces often become staging grounds for violent escalations, exacerbated by economic pressures, and their dense civilian presence means any outbreak of armed violence directly endangers bystanders, while also threatening livelihoods. Hadramawt saw the highest SAF casualty count among governorates in January, with 10 civilian casualties, followed by Ibb and Dali’, each with seven.

14 civilian casualties reported as a result of ERW
Explosive remnants of warfare (ERW) killed four civilians and injured 10 others in January 2025, marking a 36% decrease from the 22 civilian ERW casualties reported in December. Six of the incidents, accounting for half of the casualties, occurred in active and former frontline areas, including Abyan, southern Hudaydah, central Ma’rib, southern Jawf, and eastern Sana’a. The remaining casualties resulted from a single incident in Aden, where on 18 January, a UXO explosion inside a metal scrap shop in Dar Sad district killed one civilian and injured six others. Although no child fatalities were reported due to ERW in January, four children sustained injuries from remnant explosives. UXO was responsible for more child casualties than any other form of armed violence, injuring four children: two sisters, aged six and eight, at an IDP site in Hisn Said, Shuqrah (Abyan), and two 13-year-old boys in Ma’rib and Hudaydah.

Although reports of child casualties decreased, two schools were impacted by armed violence
There was a decrease in reports of child casualties as a result of armed violence in January compared to December. January saw nine child casualties, including one fatality, down 57% from 21 in December. Another three children were the result of grenade incidents, including two children who were injured when a hand grenade was thrown into a school in Wald Rabi district, Bayda. Another school was reportedly hit by shellfire in Hays district, Hudaydah, on 7 January, although no casualties were reported. The month before, in December, seven children were injured when a grenade detonated in a school premises in Dhamar, highlighting the direct threat to children when educational facilities are exposed to armed violence.

High civilian casualty count reported in Bayda following security campaign
Bayda recorded more civilian casualties than any other governorate in Yemen in January, with 22, the highest monthly toll reported there since March 2024. Of these, 18 were reported in Hanakat Al-Masud, Al-Quraishyah district. On 9 January, houses in the village reportedly came under artillery fire during a security campaign, killing one civilian and injuring 12 others, including three women. A mosque in the village was also reportedly damaged that day. Hostilities continued later in the month, with reports on 20 January of explosives being used to demolish houses in the village, a tactic frequently employed by armed groups in Yemen for punitive or intimidatory purposes. At least four houses were reportedly destroyed, killing two civilians and injuring three others, including a woman. Almost half of the nine women casualties reported countrywide in January resulted from incidents in Bayda, contributing to the increased women casualty count over the past month.

Border violence drove the highest civilian casualties in Sa’dah
Sa’dah recorded the second-highest civilian casualty count by governorate in January, with 13 casualties. These included five from a grenade detonation in a marketplace in Majz district and another eight due to border violence along the governorate’s western border. One civilian was killed, and seven others were reportedly injured by light weapons fire from border patrols and outposts. Six civilian casualties were reported in Monabbih district, five of whom, including two with a migration profile, were in Al Umm Ash Shaykh area. Additionally, one civilian casualty was reported in the border areas of both Baqim and Qatabir districts. Baqim also saw reports of civilian houses coming under cross-border shellfire, heightening the risk of displacement.

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