Attack on Migrant Facility in Yemen Kills Dozens, Houthis and Aid Officials Say

The Houthi militia, which is backed by Iran, said the attack was an American strike. The U.S. Defense Department said it was assessing the claims and took them seriously.

Dozens of people were killed on Monday in an attack that hit a migrant facility in an area of northern Yemen controlled by the Houthi militia, according to the group and aid officials.

The Houthi militia, which is backed by Iran, said that an American strike hit what the group called a migrant center in Saada, killing at least 68 African migrants.

A U.S. Defense Department official said that Central Command was “aware of the claims of civilian casualties related to the U.S. strikes in Yemen, and we take those claims very seriously.” The official said it was conducting a damage assessment and an inquiry into the Houthis’ claims.

The attack came hours after the U.S. military said that American forces had conducted more than 800 strikes in Yemen since mid-March in a campaign against the Houthis. It said the campaign targeted “multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities and advanced weapons storage locations” — but made no mention of civilian casualties.

Houthi officials have said that more than 100 civilians have been killed and condemned the latest strike as a “heinous crime against African migrants.”

The Houthis and the U.S. military have made competing claims about who was responsible for civilian deaths in recent strikes. Last week, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command said that an explosion on April 20 that killed 12 people in the Yemeni capital had been caused by a misfired Houthi missile, not an American strike as the Houthis had claimed.

On Monday, graphic footage broadcast by the Houthi-controlled al-Masirah news channel showed bodies scattered amid the rubble in Saada. In addition to the dozens who were killed, at least 40 migrants were injured, according to two aid officials in Yemen who spoke on the condition of anonymity while they further verified the circumstances of the attack.

The United Nations said it was deeply alarmed by the reports of an airstrike on the migrant facility, adding that it had received reports from colleagues that hospitals in Saada were being overwhelmed because of their limited capacity.

“Two nearby hospitals have already received more than 50 injured people, many of them critically wounded,” Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for the U.N. secretary general, said. “These numbers could increase as search-and-rescue efforts continue, which are being led by frontline responders.”

The Houthis claimed that the migrant center was operating under the supervision of the International Organization for Migration and the International Committee of the Red Cross — an assertion that both organizations denied.

The International Organization for Migration said that it was not operating at the facility but that it was monitoring the situation and was “ready to offer support as needed.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it did not run or supervise the facility but that the Red Cross and the Yemen Red Crescent Society were working to evacuate the wounded to nearby hospitals.

The International Organization for Migration and the ICRC both withdrew from Saada this year after the United Nations suspended operations in Houthi-controlled areas.

Each year, tens of thousands of African migrants attempt the perilous journey across the narrow strait separating the Horn of Africa from the Arabian Peninsula, hoping to reach wealthy Gulf States north of Yemen. Nearly 60,900 migrants have arrived in Yemen in 2024 alone, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Yemen’s ongoing conflict and political instability have made it an increasingly dangerous destination for migrants. African migrants face exploitation, abuse and sexual exploitation, according to aid groups.

Over the past year, the Houthis have launched rockets and drones at Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying that their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The United States intensified a bombing campaign against the Houthis starting on March 15, under orders from President Trump, who has vowed to continue military operations until the Houthis no longer pose a threat.

On Monday, the Houthis’ military representative, Yahya Saree, vowed in a televised statement to continue carrying out attacks in the Red Sea.

Abdi Latif Dahir contributed reporting from Nairobi, Kenya.

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