The National Commission of Inquiry Visits Maqbana District of Taiz, and Documents Human Rights Violations

Taiz – Tuesday, 21 April 2020

Today, Tuesday, the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations to Human Rights carried out a field visit to Maqbana district, west of Taiz governorate, to monitor and investigate a number of incidents of violations.

During the visit, the Commission’s delegation conducted monitoring and investigation of cases of targeting civilians, bombing schools, planting mines, forcible displacement, and damaging objects and property of the district.

The visit covered a number of sub-districts and different villages in the district of Maqbana following reports received by the Commission, namely, the sub-districts of Himyar, Al-Ashmalah, Al-Qahayfa, Al-Yaman, Al-Abdalah, Bani Salah and Al-AKhloud.

The delegation also observed the damage and destruction of the Al-Hoda and Al-Raha Schools in the sub-district of Himyar, which provided educational services to 1,488 students, including 955 females from the Ashmalah, Himyar, Al- Qahayfa and Al-Afira districts, which are among the six grave violations against children. Testimonies of male and female students and parents were documented as well.

The National Commission delegation listened to a number of women, men, and children who were victims of the indiscriminate bombing of their homes in the villages of Al-Masrah, Al-Talila, Al-Raha, and Qahban, in addition to a number of women who had their limbs amputated due to the explosion of anti-personnel mines while they went out to graze their sheep in the mountains and near water wells in those areas.

This visit is part of the field monitoring, investigation, and access to victims in districts that witnessed and experienced serious violations of international humanitarian law in violation of the principles of protecting civilians and not exposing them to danger.