Human Rights Watch has accused Houthi militants of committing war crimes in Yemen.
In a press release, it said pro-Houthi forces shot dead two women and held aid workers hostage in the Yemeni city of Aden, while affirming the incidents, possible war crimes, exemplify the grave threats to civilians in Aden.
The two women were struck by gunfire in separate incidents on April 17 and 18, 2015, and died before relatives could find a medical facility that could treat them, it said. Pro-Houthi forces also unlawfully detained 10 local aid workers for 6 to 14 days in April, releasing two only after payments were made, it said, while elaborating deliberate attacks on civilians and taking hostages are war crimes.
Houthi militants and force loyal to the former president are fighting pro-government forces and forces of the popular resistance fighters for control of Aden.
The organization urged the Houthis and other conflict parties to abide by the laws of war, including protection of civilians.
Moreover, it called on Houthis to investigate abuses by its forces.
“Aden’s civilians are already in dire straits, without being attacked, detained, and held hostage,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Leaders of the Houthis and other forces need to protect civilians, not abuse and terrorize them.”
“The difficulty of investigating the fighting in Yemen may mean abuses like these in Aden are just the tip of the iceberg,” Stork said. “The onus is on all factions and on the Saudi led coalition to take steps to abide by the laws of war.”
On Wednesday, Houthi militants fired a rocket on a boat carrying families that were fleeing fighting in the district of Al-Tuwahi killing around 86. The victims included chidren.
The militants have been besieging Aden for more than a month leaving people to suffer severe shortages of food, water, fuel, and other necessities as a result of the fighting, a reduction. A blockade on the country's ports by Arab countries conducting airstrikes on the militants adds to the crisis.
According to the United Nations, coalition air strikes, some of which appear to have involved violations of international humanitarian law, and fighting on the ground in Yemen has killed at least 646 civilians, including 50 women and 131 children, and wounded more than 1,364, the HRW's statement said.