Yemen : Houthis Escalate Abuses in Ibb by Withholding Victim’s Body After Armed Raid

Ibb – The Houthi militia has intensified its violations against residents of Ibb province, refusing to hand over the body of a man killed during a large-scale armed raid in Al-Shaar district, east of the governorate. The incident has sparked widespread public outrage and demands for the victim’s remains to be released to his family for burial.

Local sources confirmed that the Houthis are holding the body of Ahmed Saleh Muthanna Al-Ghazali (55), who was killed when militia forces stormed his home in Rohan village, Al-Amlouk subdistrict. Despite repeated appeals from residents, the group has declined to deliver the body, prolonging the family’s suffering.

According to the sources, Houthi leaders pressured community elders to pay large sums of money under the pretext of covering medical costs for their wounded fighters and compensating what they termed “blood money” for their slain members. 

The raid left two Houthi fighters dead and five injured, by the militia’s own admission.

The Houthis claimed the operation was part of a security campaign to arrest Al-Ghazali, but witnesses described it as a full-scale military assault involving excessive force. 

Militia media outlets alleged that gas cylinders were used during the clashes, a narrative widely dismissed by locals as an attempt to justify what they see as a deliberate execution.

Footage circulating online showed heavily armed Houthi units surrounding the village, while residents mourned Al-Ghazali’s death, underscoring the growing resentment toward the group’s practices in Ibb.

The province, under Houthi control since 2014, has witnessed a surge in raids, abductions, and violent crackdowns on civilians. Rights advocates accuse the militia of systematically using military power to suppress communities and entrench its dominance through fear and coercion.