IRIA News

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At least 68 people were killed and another 47 critically wounded in a U.S. airstrike on an African migrants’ detention center in Yemen’s Saada province on April 28, 2025.

The devastating attack has triggered outrage from humanitarian organizations and raised serious questions about the broader U.S. military campaign in the region.

Graphic footage released by Al Masirah, a Houthi-run media outlet, showed the aftermath of the airstrike. Dozens of bodies were buried under rubble while several critically injured civilians were calling for help. First responders were seen scrambling to pull survivors from the ruins.

“The strike hit us while we were sleeping, that’s it,” an injured migrant told reporters from a local hospital. The Houthi-run interior ministry condemned the attack as a “deliberate bombing” and declared it a “war crime.”

International condemnation

The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed its condolences, stating it was “deeply saddened by the reports of the tragic loss of life in Saada,” and called on all parties to “prioritize the protection of civilians and ensure full respect for international laws.” Though the IOM clarified it had not operated at this detention facility, it reiterated its commitment to monitoring the situation and providing support.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that the detention center was previously inspected as part of their efforts to ensure humane conditions and that Yemen Red Crescent Society teams were on the ground providing lifesaving assistance.

This tragedy mirrors a 2022 incident, when a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on another detention center just 100 meters away killed at least 66 people. Despite the repeated targeting of detention facilities, there appears to be no mechanism ensuring the protection of such vulnerable populations amid the ongoing conflict.

CENTCOM campaign and civilian deaths

The recent migrant center strike is part of a broader, intense U.S. military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi forces, who have been threatening commercial shipping routes through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since late 2023.

One day before the strike, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) revealed that in the past 40 days alone, American forces have struck over 800 targets across Houthi-controlled territories.

“We will continue to increase the pressure and further disintegrate Houthi capabilities as long as they continue to impede freedom of navigation,” CENTCOM stated in its latest report.

CENTCOM claimed that its airstrikes have “killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders, including senior Houthi missile and UAV officials.” However, mounting evidence, including the Saada attack, suggests that civilians, particularly vulnerable communities, are also bearing a heavy toll.

While CENTCOM defended its limited public disclosures by citing “operational security,” critics argue that the Pentagon’s hesitancy to share detailed information only obscures the extent of civilian suffering. This is in stark contrast to the more regular updates provided during prior U.S. campaigns.

Rising civilian casualties and humanitarian concerns

The airstrike on the migrant detention center was not an isolated event. Houthi media reported that eight more civilians were killed during overnight U.S. airstrikes in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

Earlier this month, U.S. strikes on the Ras Isa oil terminal on Yemen’s Red Sea coast killed at least 74 civilians and wounded 171 others. The U.S. military defended that strike, arguing it destroyed Houthi capabilities to generate millions in revenue for their “terror activities.”

Yet humanitarian agencies warn that repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure are exacerbating Yemen’s already catastrophic situation. Yemen’s civil war, which escalated in 2015, has killed more than 150,000 people, displaced nearly 5 million, and left half of the country of about 19.5 million people dependent on humanitarian aid.

Despite the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, African migrants from Ethiopia and Somalia continue to risk their lives crossing into Yemen, hoping to reach neighboring Saudi Arabia for work. In 2024 alone, nearly 60,900 migrants arrived in Yemen. Many end up detained in dire conditions, facing overcrowding, abuse, and little hope of escape, conditions that made Monday’s tragedy all but inevitable.

U.S. strategic goals in the region

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended the military escalation, framing it as essential for reopening commercial shipping lanes through the Red Sea, vital arteries for global trade that have been nearly paralyzed since the Gaza conflict began in late 2023.

According to CENTCOM, Houthi ballistic missile attacks have dropped by 69% and kamikaze drone attacks by 55% since the campaign’s start. Still, shipping companies remain hesitant to return to the Red Sea routes, preferring longer, more expensive journeys to avoid risk.

The U.S. has deployed two carrier strike groups to the region, a rare show of force usually reserved for major crises. Additional fighter, bomber, and air defense units have also been sent. However, this buildup has sparked concern among some American lawmakers, who warn that the Pentagon is consuming critical munitions that should be reserved for a potential conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific.

The Pentagon has not disclosed how much the operation is costing, further fueling criticisms about its long-term sustainability.

Trump’s harder stance

After returning to the White House in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a notably harder line on Yemen than his predecessor. He redesignated the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,” reversing the Biden administration’s delisting in 2021, which was aimed at easing Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.

Since November 2023, Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, sinking two, seizing another, and killing four crew members. The group claims that it only attacks ships linked to Israel, the U.S., or the UK in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Prior efforts, including the Biden administration’s Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational task force, failed to secure the shipping lanes, forcing the U.S. to escalate militarily.

Balancing between trade and humanitarian costs

The deaths of dozens of African migrants in Saada now hang heavily over CENTCOM’s Yemen campaign. As airstrikes continue, so too does the debate over the ethical and strategic implications of America’s military intervention in one of the world’s most complex and brutal conflicts. The question facing Washington is no longer simply whether it can weaken the Houthis, but at what human cost.