"Death Farms" .. A human rights report documents more than two thousand dead and wounded shepherds and farmers in Yemen during the war

A recent human rights report revealed that more than two thousand farmers and shepherds were killed and injured as a result of mines and mutual shelling in several Yemeni governorates during the war years.

The Rights Radar organization for human rights said in its report issued yesterday, Monday, under the title “ Farms and Pastures of Death ,” “With the war raging on various fronts in many Yemeni governorates, shepherds, farmers, and rural residents in the plains, deserts, and mountains found themselves in the crosshairs of war from various parties, whether intentionally or randomly, especially with the transformation of many agricultural areas and regions into fields of death as a result of mutual targeting with various light, medium, and heavy weapons, including ballistic missiles, as well as mines of various types and sizes, and explosive devices.” "Howitzer and mortar shells."

She added, "This reality has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents of the affected areas, and many of them have been forced to migrate and be forcibly displaced, and even displaced in many cases, in search of safer habitats and pastures for themselves, their children, and their livestock."

She continued: "Over the course of nine years of war, this important segment of Yemeni society has paid a heavy price in terms of their lives, possessions, and, before that, their stability in life and livelihood, which has made them among the most victims of the war at all levels."

The report confirmed the killing and wounding of 2,099 civilians (1,021 killed and 1,078 wounded) while grazing livestock or while they were inside their farms or on the roads and paths leading to or from them, including (542) children, (199) women, (205) elderly people, and (1,153) adult men between the ages of (18-50 years), during the period from (April 2015 to September 2024) in (20) Yemeni governorates.

According to the report, the Houthi group topped the list of violations, causing the death of 709 civilians and the injury of 802 others, followed by the coalition forces, which targeted civilian farms and pastures, killing 222 civilians and injuring 201 others, while the two parties shared responsibility for 78 civilian deaths and injuries.

In its report, Rights Radar recommended that the conflicting parties stop targeting civilians and called in particular on the Houthi group to immediately stop using mines and explosive devices, hand over maps of contaminated areas, and intensify mine clearance efforts in agricultural areas. It also called on the international community to provide urgent support to affected farmers and hold accountable those responsible for the violations.