Houthi authorities in Yemen claimed a U.S. airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing 68 and injuring 47. The strike occurred in the war-torn Saada governorate, where migrants from Ethiopia and other countries risk crossing Yemen to reach Saudi Arabia. Graphic footage showed the aftermath, and allegations of abuse and killings of migrants by both Yemen and Saudi Arabia have been reported.

Yemen's Houthi authorities have alleged that a U.S. airstrike targeted a prison holding African migrants on Monday, resulting in at least 68 fatalities and 47 injuries. The U.S. military has yet to respond to the claims.

The strike occurred in Yemen's Saada governorate, which is a stronghold for the Houthis, and is part of a long-standing pattern of violence in Yemen’s decade-long war, often involving African migrants, primarily from Ethiopia, who risk their lives crossing the war-torn country in hopes of reaching Saudi Arabia for work.

The Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel aired graphic footage showing what appeared to be dead bodies and individuals wounded at the site. The Houthi Interior Ministry reported that approximately 115 migrants were being held at the location. Yemen's Civil Defense agency confirmed that 68 people were killed, and 47 others were injured in the attack. Analysis of footage from the scene by the Associated Press suggests that an explosion occurred, with debris fragments peppering the cement walls and causing wounds among the victims. In the background of the footage, a woman's soft voice can be heard repeating an Arabic prayer: “In the name of God,” as occasional gunshots are heard while medics attempt to assist the injured.

For years, African migrants, mainly from Ethiopia, have made the perilous journey to Yemen, hoping to reach Saudi Arabia for work. Amid Yemen's ongoing conflict, Houthi rebels are accused of profiting from smuggling migrants across the border into Saudi Arabia, earning tens of thousands of dollars weekly from this trade.

Migrants have faced severe mistreatment, including detention, abuse, and even death in both Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the ongoing war. A letter from the United Nations to Saudi Arabia on October 3, 2022, raised alarms over reports that Saudi security forces had allegedly used cross-border artillery shelling and small arms fire, which resulted in the deaths of up to 430 migrants and the injury of 650 others. Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations of killing migrants.