2023-04-21 13:23:38
In response to the death of at least 85 people and to the injuries suffered by at least 300 others in last night’s stampede at a Ramadan charity event held at a school in the old town of Sana’a, Grazia Careccia, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North of Africa, has stated:
“Justice must be served for the victims of this horrendous – and preventable – incident that has cost the lives of so many people, many of whom are believed to be children.”
“The Houthi ‘de facto’ authorities must promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently and effectively investigate how a charity event turned into a catastrophe in which dozens of people lost their lives and hundreds were injured. The alleged perpetrators must be brought to justice with all the procedural guarantees. Access to justice and effective remedies for victims and their families must be guaranteed. The authorities must immediately desist from any interference in the delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population.”
“This is another cruel blow to the people of Yemen, who are already suffering the worst consequences of an armed conflict that began eight years ago; more than two thirds of the population need humanitarian aid, and the rate of child malnutrition is alarming. The international community cannot remain impassive in the face of a lack of accountability for the serious violations of international law committed by all parties to the conflict.”
Additional information
On Wednesday afternoon (April 19), hundreds of people turned out for a charity event organized at the Maeen school in the Bab al Yemen district of Sana’a for local merchants to donate 5,000 Yemeni riyals in cash (about US$8) to residents during the last days of Ramadan. According to statements by the Ministry of the Interior, under Houthi control, two organizers of the event have been arrested and an investigation has been launched.
Some media outlets have attributed the stampede to shots fired into the air by armed members of the Houthi de facto authorities which hit an electrical cable causing an explosion. However, the Houthi-controlled Interior Ministry blamed the stampede on the “indiscriminate delivery of sums of money through some transfers without coordination with the Interior Ministry and without organization.”
Sana’a has been under the control of the Houthi rebel group since 2015, and parties to the conflict continue to restrict the movement and delivery of aid. In 2022, attacks against humanitarian aid personnel and violent acts against their assets and facilities by parties to the conflict increased at an alarming rate.
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