Marib Governorate Republic of Yemen
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محافظة مأرب Marib Governorate Republic of Yemen Introduction Marib governorate is considered one of the most volatile areas in Yemen. Clashes between the army and the Houthi rebel/ coup militias first erupted in Majzar north of the governorate in late 2014 and continue up to this date in many areas south and west the governorate, including Serwah ,Majzar, Madghal, Raghwan, Mahlya and Rahaba, causing civilian casualties, especially children and women. The Human rights Office in Marib has documented (14680) violations committed against civilians such as murder, injury, arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, torture and forced displacement that occurred in the period from August 2014 to December 2020. It also covers the violations against the private and public properties, e.g. looting, detonation and shelling. From August 2014 until the end of 2020. 2 Report of Human Rights Violations in Marib محافظة مأرب Marib Governorate Republic of Yemen Report Scene: Marib Marib, one of the governorate s of the Republic of Yemen, is located to the northeast of the capital Sana'a. It is located about 173 km far from Sana'a. The population of the governorate constitute 1.2% of the population of the Republic of Yemen according to the 2004 census. It consists of 14 districts spread over the governorate 's total area of 17455 square kilometers. The city of Marib is Chapter 1 Chapter the center of the governorate. It is bordered by Aljawf in the north, Shabwa and Hadramout in the east, al-Beidha and Shabwah in the south, and Sanaa in the west. The residents of Marib rely on agriculture and animal husbandry as their main source of livelihood. A segment of the people depend on public salaries, military and civil, and remittances of expatriates who work in the neighboring Gulf states. Report of Human Rights Violations in Marib 3 From August 2014 until the end of 2020. محافظة مأرب Marib Governorate Republic of Yemen Context On the political level: Yemen was witnessing an unprecedented political activity in 2013-2014. All the Yemeni governorates were witnessing po- litical seminars, workshops, conferences as part of the public consultations that contributed into the then ongoing Nation- al Dialogue Conference in Sana'a. The dialogue included all stakeholders including the traditional elite of the former Presi- dent Saleh and the Houthis. But this political dialogue came to a halt after the Houthi militias mounted their military coup and rebelled against outcomes of the national dialogue. They waged a widespread war in many Yemeni governorate s in order to impede Yemen's transforma- tion to a federal state. Because Marib with all its political parties and tribal compo- nents took the side of the legitimate government, the militias launched war against it and from various fronts, which led to the killing of many civilians and destruction of several public and private properties. On the economic level: The governorate of Marib is considered one of the most im- portant Yemeni governorates that supplies the state with oil and gas revenues, especially that is exported through Ras Issa port and Balhaf port in Shabwa, in addition to being one of the most important governorates that covers local markets with vegetables and fruits. Because of the Houthi militia’s coup against state institutions and their open war on the Yemeni From August 2014 until the end of 2020. 4 Report of Human Rights Violations in Marib محافظة مأرب Marib Governorate Republic of Yemen governorates, the production of crude oil and liquefied nat- ural gas has stopped, which has doubled the suffering of Yemenis in general, with a negative impact on the value of the national currency and an increase in the value of hard currency due to the suspension of export. The Houthi militia also has transformed Marib into battlefields and planted tens of thousands of landmines, which affects the planting of the fruits and vegetables. On the military level: At the end of 2014, the militias invaded the Majzar district in order to control it and to be their northern gateway to invade the city of Marib. Because of the local people's objection, the conflict broke out in this district and the heavily armed militias killed and injured many civilians and looted many public and private properties and forced the displacement of hundreds of fami- lies. In 2015, the militias invaded the western gateway to the city of Marib, the district of Serwah because the district is the nearest to the center of Marib. After fierce confrontations, the militias managed to seize Serwah and then the areas of Jaffinah, dam, Al-Manin and Al-Fao ,outskirts of Marib city. The militia maintained control on significant areas of Marib for more than six months. The militias gains were achieved at the expense of lives of hundreds of civilians, including wom- en and children. Many private and public establishments were obliterated. Although these areas of Marib have been liberated by the army since October 2015, their populations still suffer be- cause of the landmines that the militias planted. At the beginning of 2015, the militias tried to invade Marib through its southwestern gate from the governorate of Al- Report of Human Rights Violations in Marib 5 From August 2014 until the end of 2020. محافظة مأرب Marib Governorate Republic of Yemen Beidha. Fierce clashes nearly two months, causing dozens of civilian casualties due to the militias' intentional indis- criminate shelling and planting of landmines. The coup mi- litia once again launched to an open war against the civil- ians who supported the National Army, and managed to take control of the Mahlia and Rahaba districts, causing massive displacements. Currently, the militias continue to control a number of areas in western and southern Marib and occupy the homes of dis- placed citizens. They also control the strategic Hailan moun- tain and use its top as a military barracks from which they shell the residential neighborhoods in Marib, killing civilians and innocent people on a continual basis. War in Yemen and the International Law The current armed conflict in Yemen is classified as a non- international conflict between the legitimate government forces supported by the Arab Coalition and the Houthi militias. The International Humanitarian Law, represented by the four Geneva Conventions to which Yemen is a signatory, obliges the warring parties to abide by a set of obligations. Yemen and some of the states participating in the armed conflict are also parties to the Protocol II of the Geneva Conventions, which provides for additional protective measures for the combatants and civilians during non- international armed conflicts. All parties to the Yemeni conflict, including the non- governmental armed groups, have a responsibility to comply with the requirements of International Humanitarian Law. Each From August 2014 until the end of 2020. 6 Report of Human Rights Violations in Marib محافظة مأرب Marib Governorate Republic of Yemen party must respect and comply with the laws of the war. The obligation is not reciprocal. The parties to the conflict must respect the terms and conditions, whether the counterparty does likewise or not. The International Humanitarian Law requires the warring parties to distinguish between civilians and combatants, as well as to refrain from using unexploded ordnances in densely populated areas. The The International Humanitarian Law also requires the warring parties to allow and facilitate the civilians' access to humanitarian aid supplies. Executive Summary This report is the product of a year of hard work by the field monitoring team of the Human Rights Office in Marib. The team worked in a very difficult and complicated environment that involved challenges and often risks of life to the monitors to document the violations that occurred since the war began in August 2014 until the end of December 2020 in all of Marib, particularly those areas that witnessed confrontations between the government and the militias which sought to control the governorate and undermine the state authorities. The militia's war on Marib was the main cause of the deterioration of the human rights situation in the governorate because of the militias' indiscriminate shelling on residential areas and planting of landmines that left dozens of civilian casualties, especially workers and children. Add to that the militias' policy of occupying and looting of private and public Report of Human Rights Violations in Marib 7 From August 2014 until the end of 2020. محافظة مأرب Marib Governorate Republic of Yemen properties and forcing the displacement of citizens and the arrest and forced disappearance of all oppositionists to them. This report aims to shed light on the figures and statistics of these violations caused by the militias against civilians who were not a party to the ongoing conflict, based on accurate and impartial information collected during a systematic monitoring and documentation process by a group of well- trained monitors. The report is divided into five chapters; the first chapter presents introduction and the time line of the events, while the second chapter presents the violations against the civilians, and the third chapter presents the violations related to public and private property. The fourth chapter describes the militia's targeting of facilities, health facilities, and humanitarian aid convoys in addition to historical and cultural heritage sites. Finally, chapter five presents some examples cases (case-in- points of violations) documented. The figures reveal all the violations in the period from August 2014 to the end of December 2020. The number of these violations committed by the Houthi militias against the people of Marib amounted to (14680). These violations include (615) cases of killing; (146) by landmines and (469) by missiles and projectiles, (1512) cases of injuries; (393) by landmines planted by Houthi militia in the agricultural land, and (1119) by various missiles and projectiles fired by Houthi militia on residential areas.