Yemeni Rights Group Accuses Houthis of Exploiting Hunger for Child Recruitment

A Yemeni human rights network has accused the Houthi militia of orchestrating organized recruitment campaigns targeting impoverished neighborhoods and marginalized camps in Sana'a and Ibb governorate. The group alleges that the militia is exploiting the worsening humanitarian crisis and dire living conditions to pressure children and young people into joining combatant training centers.

In a statement, the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms reported that the Iran-backed Houthi militia is offering promises of food aid, financial stipends, and shelter to poor families in exchange for sending their children to training camps. The network condemned this practice, deeming the linkage of humanitarian aid to recruitment as "humanitarian blackmail" and a clear violation of fundamental civilian rights.

Information gathered by the network indicates that dozens of young men and adolescents from marginalized groups have been transferred to training camps in Sana'a and Dhamar. Subsequently, some of these recruits have been deployed to active frontlines in Marib, Taiz, and other conflict zones.

The network highlighted that recruitment efforts are increasingly reliant on exploiting the economic and social vulnerabilities of the most fragile populations, particularly amidst the absence of social protection and the deepening humanitarian crisis in Houthi-controlled territories.

The group also cited escalating pressure and intimidation tactics within marginalized communities in Ibb governorate. Families have reportedly been threatened with the denial of aid if they refuse to send their children to the militia's camps.

These practices, the network asserted, demonstrate a "systematic pattern" of exploiting humanitarian needs to serve military objectives. The organization urged the United Nations, along with human rights and humanitarian organizations, to intervene and exert pressure to halt these forced recruitment and conscription operations, and to strengthen protective mechanisms for children and vulnerable groups in conflict areas.