Amnesty calls for probe into US airstrike that killed dozens of migrants in Yemen

Amnesty International is demanding an investigation into a U.S. airstrike that killed more than 60 African migrants held in a Houthi run prison in Yemen’s Saada province last April, saying the attack may constitute a war crime.

The April 28 strike targeted a detention facility known to hold Ethiopian migrants attempting to reach Saudi Arabia through Yemen’s conflict zone. Amnesty says the attack was indiscriminate and highlights ongoing violations by all parties in the country’s devastating war.

“The U.S. attack on the migrant detention facility in Saada qualifies as an indiscriminate strike and should be investigated as a war crime,” said Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director.

Beckerle added that Houthi guards also bear responsibility, noting that detainees begged to be released after a nearby airstrike moments before the U.S. attack but guards instead fired warning shots before the prison was hit.

The U.S. Central Command has yet to provide an explanation for the strike, which hit a site previously bombed by the Saudi led coalition. The facility had long been known to house migrants detained by the Houthis under harsh conditions.

“Many of these people left Ethiopia seeking work to support their families,” Beckerle said. “Now, their families are sending money to Yemen to help them recover from their injuries.”

U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis have intensified under Operation Rough Rider, targeting more than 1,000 sites across Yemen.