Desk review yemen

Children associated with armed forces and groups

Overview/Issue

Since the recent escalation of the conflict, the Houthi armed group has intensified its recruitment, training, and deployment of children. Since September 2014, when the Houthis took control of Sana’a, they have increasingly used children as scouts, guards, runners, and fighters, with some children being wounded and killed. According to one recruiter, children without military training do not participate in active combat, but mostly serve as guards or carry ammunition and food to front-line fighters. They also retrieve killed and wounded fighters and provide first aid.⁷⁶

The Houthis first give children ideological and Zaidi Shia Islamic training for at least a month, followed by military training at one of their bases across the country. The children said they were not paid but were given food and qat. Most of them brought their own weapons – military firearms are common among Yemeni families – but were provided ammunition.⁷⁷

Also Islamist and tribal militias and armed groups such as AQAP are deploying child soldiers.

Parties to the conflict, of which all recruit and use children⁶:

• 
  Al-Houthi/Ansar Allah
  
• 
  Al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula (AQIP)/Ansar al-Sharia
  
• 
  Government forces, including the Yemeni Armed Forces, the First Armoured Division, the Military Police, the special security forces and Republican Guards - has concluded an action plan with the UN in line with SC resolutions 1539 (2004) and 1612 (2005)
  
• 
  Pro-Government militias, including the Salafists and Popular Committees
  

An assessment in Amran Governorate showed that 7 out of 35 respondents have reported that they have seen children carrying weapons. The respondents also said that children are at high risk of being involved in the armed conflict and that they are afraid that this risk will continue.

Respondents stated kidnapping of children is a high risks and they are afraid that this risk will continue.⁷⁸