CIMP Monthly Report

Casualty numbers dropped to the lowest since the start of the year
June saw a significant fall of around 60% in casualty numbers relative to the previous month, dropping from 286 in May to 120 in June, the lowest since February of this year, when 57 civilians were killed or injured. Incident numbers also saw a reduction, decreasing from 101 to 65, which is around a third lower (35%) than the number recorded in May. Regional de-escalation contributed to the fall in both casualty and incident numbers, as well as a drawdown in frontline violence that coincided with the Eid holiday period at the beginning of the month. Another causative factor that led to the relative calm in June was a temporary, but indirect, rapprochement between the warring parties, which allowed for the re-opening of long-closed major roads connecting frontlines areas.

Children and women casualties saw a decrease compared to May
Child and women victims of violence also fell significantly compared to May, dropping by around 70%, from 63 to 20, which is the lowest number since February, when 11 children and women were directly affected by armed violence. That fall in casualty numbers, however, was more in line with the monthly average (19) for 2025, excluding the escalation period between mid-March and early May that preceded the ongoing bilateral truce. Of the total, 80% of the children and women casualties (16) were reported in Taizz, Ad Dali, Sadah, and Lahij, all occurring either along active frontlines or as a result of related ERW incidents.

ERW caused 3 child casualties (1 killed, 2 injured). Since the start of the year, 34 of the 101 casualties killed or wounded by ERW have been children, comprising a third of the total ERW casualty toll. The impact on children can partly be explained by the nature of UXO and other concealed ordnance, which can lead to people, especially children, unassumingly tampering with these objects, thinking they are toys or some kind of household item that could be used for domestic purposes.

Shootings caused 40% of all casualties reported in June
Away from the active frontlines, shooting incidents arising from disputes, vengeance issues, and personal grievances were the cause of the highest number of deaths and injuries during June, compared to other causes of armed violence. Overall, 48 civilians were killed and injured in shootings in the month, around double the number recorded in May (26). The number was also twice as high as the average for this year (24). Nevertheless, the number of shooting victims was nearly identical to the same period last year, when 140 civilians were killed or injured in the first 6 months of 2024, compared to 141 in the first half of this year. But, the relative increase in shooting incidents so far this year could be attributed to a general breakdown of the rule of law, the widespread and easy access to small arms, and the calm seen along previously active frontlines, allowing former fighters to return to their areas of origin, and without guidance and rehabilitation to re-integrate into society, often resort to violence to settle otherwise minor disputes.

Two-thirds of all casualty numbers recorded in frontline areas
Active frontlines witnessed an overall casualty toll of 45 civilians killed or injured, around two-thirds (63) of all casualties recorded during the reporting period. Sadah and Taizz saw nearly 90% of all the casualties along active frontlines, highlighted by border violence in Sadah and targeted shelling of civilian sites in the outskirts of Taizz city. Among the 45 civilian victims of frontline violence were 7 children and women, nearly half of the number of children and women killed and injured along frontlines (15) in the previous month. The decline can partly be explained by June experiencing a general drawdown in frontline activity, which enabled the parties to the conflict to re-open the main road connecting Ibb to Ad Dali through Qaatabah district.

Border violence, however, obscured the general downward trend and indicated instead a potential escalation along the northern border of Yemen. However, the increase in reported border violence has been assessed to be the result of an increase in interest by the media in criminal activity along the border rather than the deliberate targeting of civilians or civilian objects in districts in Sadah bordering Saudi Arabia. Additionally, with the continued influx of migrants from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in the hope of crossing into Saudi Arabia, the incidents of illegal attempted entries could have spurred an increase in incidents along the border, impacting both locals and migrant populations.

Protected sites witnessed around 10% of the total casualties
There were two shooting incidents inside mosques during the reporting period, resulting in an accumulated 15 casualties (around 13% of the total casualty toll). Protected sites have been impacted 13 separate times this year, resulting in a total of 16 casualties, including those affected in June. More than half of those came during a mosque shooting at the start of the month, when 10 civilians were killed and injured in Al Arsh district to the west of Al Bayda, while the remaining 5 were shot inside a mosque in Amran city later in the month. The exact reasons behind the shootings are unknown, but the incidents were assessed to be isolated in nature and unrelated to any activity connected to the overall conflict. The month also saw another incident impacting protected sites when a historical location in Ad Dali was demolished with explosives, with the reason being attributed to terrorism and extremism. So far, 7 mosques, two cemeteries, two castles, and two other historical sites have been directly impacted by armed violence through the first half of the year.

Naval shelling in Al Hudaydah marked a temporary shift in tactics
On 10 June, attacks resumed on Al Hudaydah port, this time through missiles fired by naval vessels in the Red Sea. The strikes once again targeted the port’s docks. Reports said that the missiles were fired from a location hundreds of kilometres away from the Yemeni coast, marking the first time that Al Hudaydah port has been hit by fire from naval vessels. The incident is also the first time since December 2017 that Al Hudaydah has been targeted by naval shelling and only the second time this year that naval missiles have been deployed to strike targets inside Yemen, with the last coming during the previous escalation period, when missiles fired from naval vessels hit As Safra district in central Sadah on 16 March.

ERW incidents drop by over 60% compared to May
In June, 7 incidents involving ERW were reported, causing a total of 8 casualties, a significant decrease from May. The fall in ERW victims followed a spike last month, when a total of 22 civilians were killed or injured, which marked the highest number recorded since December 2024. The casualties in June were reported along former and current active frontlines, with Al Bayda topping the list with 3 casualties, followed by Al Hudaydah, Marib, and Sadah with 1 casualty each. 2 casualties were reported in an isolated incident in Amran, where children tampered with a UXO thinking it was a toy By comparison, in May, ERW incidents were recorded in 9 different governorates, not all along active frontlines, the most since April 2024. Typically, ERW incidents have been primarily reported in Al Hudaydah and Al Jawf since the de-escalation of fighting following the 2022 truce; the two governorates have witnessed the majority of ERW casualties since April 2022 (464 in Al Hudaydah and 133 in Al Jawf). However, the resumption of airstrikes may have led to a new proliferation of ERW away from the active fronts on the ground.

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