On Wednesday, at least 78 people were murdered in a stampede at a charity event in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. More than eight years of war between Saudi-backed Sunni and Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels have wrecked the country, in a conflict recognized by the UN as one of the world’s greatest humanitarian disasters.
According to the Houthi-controlled Interior Ministry, local merchants were apparently handing out presents at a school to commemorate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when the crush began. Saudi Arabia was blamed for the disaster. Riyadh was also accused of causing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis by placing a siege on the war-torn Yemen.
According to AFP, quoting a Houthi security spokesman, the attack injured more than 300 persons. According to Yemen’s Al Masirah TV channel, 13 individuals are in severe condition.
According to eyewitnesses, Houthi militants attempted to contain the throng, including by firing rounds into the air, but their efforts were futile.
The Shiite organization, which controls huge swaths of Yemen, accused event organizers of “random distribution” of monies without proper collaboration with authorities.
Two businesspeople have been arrested, and an inquiry has been initiated, according to the Interior Ministry. Officials have also stated that they will compensate grieving families as well as those injured in the rush.
In a series of tweets, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee, said that the “countries of the US-British-Saudi-Emirati aggression and its allies” are to blame for the tragedy, as well as the “bitter reality that the Yemeni people live in because of the aggression and blockade.”
He also demanded that the country’s blockade be eased.
According to the UN, nearly 24 million Yemenis, or 80% of the population, require humanitarian assistance and protection. Since 2015, it is estimated that about 400,000 people have died as a direct or indirect result of the war in Yemen, with more than half of them victims of famine and insufficient healthcare.
