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Houthi Forces Intensify Tunnel Digging and Displacement Operations in Al-Hudaydah
Local authorities in Al-Hudaydah have announced that the Houthi group has recently intensified operations to dig tunnels and trenches in the Durayhimi district on the southern outskirts of the coastal city in western Yemen.
The local authority in Al-Hudaydah confirmed in a statement that the Houthi group has forced 350 families from five villages in the Al-Jarahi district, approximately 1,750 individuals, to evacuate their homes under the threat of weapons in order to begin excavating tunnels and constructing military fortifications.
It was noted that the residents of these villages are now living in the open after being forcibly displaced from their homes and farms, which they relied upon as a primary source of income. This has occurred amid a complete neglect and silence from local and international human rights organizations regarding these blatant violations.
The statement condemned the "forced displacement operations carried out by the Houthi group against residents of a number of villages in the coastal districts since the end of October," describing them as part of a series of crimes and gross violations of human rights.
This comes days after local residents and human rights activists reported that the Houthi group had issued warnings to the residents of the coastal Al-Munzir area in the Al-Houk district, which has a population of 4,500, demanding that they evacuate their homes within five days.
The provincial Human Rights Office stated that the group has displaced residents from villages along the Haradh-Al-Hudaydah line in the Bajil district and has turned the Al-Khubah fishing port in the Al-Luhayyah district into a closed military zone, preventing fishermen from engaging in their normal activities.
It was further explained that these movements reflect an unprecedented military buildup in Al-Hudaydah, which the group aims to convert into a complete military garrison.
