A US airstrike on a migrant detention facility in Yemen's northwestern Saada province killed at least 68 African migrants and injured 47 others early Monday morning, according to Yemen's Civil Defense organization.
The detention center, which housed approximately 115 migrants primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia, was struck four times around 5:00 AM local time. Most of the injured are in critical condition.
"It was tragic and horrific... I saw burnt people. We couldn't recognise some of the bodies we saw," said Ibrahim Cabdulqaadir Macallin, chairman of the Somali community in Yemen, after visiting the scene. He noted that the facility was located in an "open area" away from military installations.
The Yemen Red Crescent Society, supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), led emergency response efforts to evacuate the wounded to hospitals and manage the deceased.
The strike occurred hours after US Central Command announced it had hit over 800 targets in Yemen since March 15 as part of an intensified air campaign against Houthi forces. While a US defense official said they are investigating the civilian casualty claims, the Houthi-run interior ministry condemned what it called the "deliberate bombing" of the facility.
Despite Yemen's ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis, migrants from the Horn of Africa continue arriving by boat, hoping to reach Saudi Arabia for work opportunities. The UN's International Organization for Migration reports that nearly 60,900 migrants entered Yemen in 2024 alone.
This incident marks one of the deadliest US strikes in Yemen since President Trump took office. The US military campaign aims to counter Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which the group claims are in support of Palestinians in Gaza.