Amnesty International: Supporters of Yemen's President Threaten Medical Staff and Endanger Civilians

Amnesty International has accused the militias supporting Yemen's President of harassing and threatening medical staff and endangering civilian security by deploying armed individuals near hospitals in the southwestern city of Taiz, which is currently embroiled in a battle with Houthi Shiites. According to Reuters, the International Committee of the Red Cross also reported on Tuesday that residents of Taiz, which had a population of about 300,000 before the war began, are caught in heavy fighting between rival factions, with corpses scattered throughout the city and hundreds injured in the past week. Amnesty International claims that armed forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, known as popular committees, have detained medical staff in Taiz hospitals and threatened them with death. Local forces loyal to the Yemeni president control Taiz, the third largest city in Yemen, but are under attack from various fronts by Houthi rebels. Philip Luther, a Middle East official at Amnesty International, stated, 'There is compelling evidence that anti-Houthi forces are employing various methods to harass and intimidate medical staff. By deploying military units next to hospitals and clinics, they jeopardize the security of these facilities and, according to international law, put their ability to provide medical services to civilians at risk.' Officials associated with Hadi's government said they would investigate and respond to these accusations. The city of Taiz, located 205 kilometers south of Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, is under the control of forces loyal to the Yemeni president. Recently, the United Nations accused Houthi rebels of blocking humanitarian aid from entering the city by besieging it on three fronts. Human rights groups have accused both sides involved in Taiz of firing rockets and mortars into residential areas. According to the Human Rights Watch group, landmines planted by Houthis have caused numerous civilian casualties. Based on interviews with 15 doctors and medical staff in Taiz, Amnesty International reports that forces loyal to the Yemeni president have regularly detained doctors and medical staff over the past six months and threatened them with death. The report details at least three instances where medical facilities were shut down due to threats against doctors. Eyewitnesses reported that armed individuals stormed a hospital office and threatened that if the hospital did not shut down, all its employees would be executed immediately. Witnesses also stated that armed individuals attempted to take two Houthi fighters, one of whom was a teenage boy, from the intensive care unit, but hospital staff prevented them. The report cites the director of one of the hospitals in Taiz, stating that militias loyal to the Yemeni president have established defensive fortifications and even tanks around the hospital despite opposition from hospital staff and local officials. In this context, the Saudi-led coalition announced a 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen.