The Eye for Humanity Center for Rights and Development held a press conference today, Wednesday, in Al-Khokha District of Hudaydah Governorate, during which it revealed the toll of crimes and violations committed by formations affiliated with the Saudi enemy against civilians and civilian objects in the districts of Al-Khokha and Hays between 2018 and 2026.

During the conference, the center presented a field and statistical report documenting 687 civilian casualties and extensive damage to homes, farms, facilities, fishermen’s sources of livelihood, and religious landmarks.

At the conference, Hudaydah Governor Abdullah Ateifi affirmed that the crimes committed by formations affiliated with the Saudi aggression in the districts of the western coast affected the lives of civilians, their sources of livelihood, and their property, and targeted facilities, mosques, and religious landmarks, in violations that left widespread humanitarian, economic, and social impacts among the people of Al-Khokha and Hays.

He explained that the people of the western coast, particularly fishermen and farmers, bore direct consequences as a result of violations, targeting, abductions, and torture, accompanied by the destruction of property and the disruption of sources of income and services.

Ateifi called on the international community, the United Nations, the Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and international organizations to assume their responsibilities toward the documented crimes and violations, and to work to ensure justice for the victims and hold those responsible accountable. He also commended the center’s efforts in monitoring, documenting, and issuing human rights reports exposing what the people of the western coast have endured.

For his part, Al-Khokha District Director Amjad Al-Omaisi explained that formations affiliated with the aggression committed the most heinous crimes of looting, plundering, dragging, and rape in the districts of Al-Khokha and Hays.

For his part, Head of the Eye for Humanity Center for Rights and Development Ahmed Abu Hamra stated that the report covers eight years of violations that affected the right to life and public safety. He commended the support of the National Human Rights Authority for civil institutions working in the human rights field, and held the countries of the aggression fully responsible for all the crimes.

The report issued by the center revealed that the total number of civilian casualties in Al-Khokha and Hays as a result of Saudi enemy and mercenary shelling reached 687 killed and wounded, including 343 killed: 89 children, 24 women, and 230 men, in addition to 344 wounded, including 57 children, 41 women, and 246 men.

It reported that intense shelling and the escalation on the ground caused thousands of families to be displaced, leaving them to suffer shortages in food security and clean drinking water, as well as a decline in primary healthcare. It also pointed to the scale of damage inflicted on civilian objects and infrastructure, including damage to 605 homes and housing units and 204 farms and agricultural fields; the suspension of 20 service and health facilities; the disruption of 47 markets and commercial shops; and damage to 27 water networks and drinking-water wells.

With regard to the systematic targeting of fishermen, the report revealed the destruction of 4,700 fishing boats and fishing equipment, the killing and wounding of 457 fishermen, and the abduction of more than 2,000 others. It said the enemy imposed special fish-landing centers and forced citizens to deal with them in exchange for financial payments.

It pointed to the suspension of agricultural activity as a result of converting farms into military barracks, as well as the disabling of electricity stations and generators, forcing residents to operate private generators at high fees for the benefit of military and field commanders affiliated with the enemy and its proxies.

It also addressed the deliberate destruction by enemy aircraft and its mercenaries of religious landmarks, historic mosques, shrines, and historic sanctuaries in the districts of Al-Khokha and Hays, noting that a number of them were subjected to shelling, demolition, and bulldozing with explosive devices, causing damage to the area’s religious and historical heritage.

The report disclosed the crime of executing and conducting field executions of 13 prisoners on the western coast front in November 2021, considering this a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

The center also documented 14 cases of direct rape involving children and women under threat of weapons, 23 cases of physical harassment, and nine cases of abduction for the purpose of sexual violence during the period covered by the report.

It appealed to the international community and global human rights organizations to assume their moral and legal responsibilities to protect civilians and uphold the rules of international humanitarian law.

The conference was attended by the directors of the health and environment offices, Dr. Ali Al-Haddad; Finance, Mohammed Al-Wushali; and Media, Ibrahim Al-Za’rour, as well as media correspondents.