Aden, Yemen, 22 April 2025 – CIVIC is gravely concerned by reports of civilian casualties resulting from recent US airstrikes in Houthi-controlled areas, including Hudaydah and Sana’a, Yemen.
While immediate verification of reports of civilian harm is challenging in the areas where the strikes occurred, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas makes civilian deaths and injuries highly likely. There are already confirmed reports of civilian infrastructure being damaged or destroyed, which is likely to compound the already devastating and long-term humanitarian impacts of conflict in Yemen.
CIVIC urges the US military to promptly assess and investigate these civilian harm reports, and to ensure transparency with both the public and affected Yemeni communities regarding their findings.
The US strikes come as the Department of Defense considers significant cuts to the US civilian harm mitigation and response (CHMR) program, designed to prevent harm in operations such as these. The Department should clarify how CHMR policies were applied to these strikes, and what steps were taken to identify and mitigate risks to civilians.
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For additional information or media inquiries, please contact:
Hajer Naili, Director of Communications, [email protected], +1 917 889 5982 (WhatsApp)
CIVIC Communications: [email protected]
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ABOUT CIVIC
Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian protection organization that envisions a world in which no civilian is harmed in conflict. Learn more at www.civiliansinconflict.org and follow CIVIC on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
