US Intentionally Targeted African Migrant Detention Facility in Yemen: Experts

Nearly seventy African migrants were killed earlier this week in a pre-dawn airstrike that hit a detention facility in northern Yemen.

The Yemeni officials immediately blamed the United States for the attack. While Washington has not confirmed involvement, a US official stated that it was “aware” of the reports.

Munitions specialists identified remnants of a GBU-39 precision-guided bomb—manufactured in the United States—at the scene.

Verified video from the aftermath showed dismembered bodies and survivors buried under debris, with bloodied limbs scattered across the ruins.

According to Sanaa, an Ethiopian activist based in Yemen’s capital, the center was struck at least three times in succession, with later strikes hitting survivors and rescue workers.

“Of course, this place is neither a legitimate target nor humane; it is a complete failure,” Sanaa said, speaking under a pseudonym for safety reasons.

She added that another strike landed near the facility. Ismail Al-Warfi, head of the Republican Hospital Authority in Sa’ada, said the site was overwhelmed.

One airstrike hit the prison gate, delaying emergency response efforts and destroying the facility’s only ambulance. “There is no capacity to manage the devastation,” Al-Warfi told Drop Site.

“The situation there was catastrophic. Everyone was shocked—what was the point of targeting these peaceful Africans? It was a tragedy,” he added.

Al-Warfi also criticized the international humanitarian response, calling it inadequate. He noted that the UN suspended its operations in Sa’ada after Houthi forces detained UN personnel in February.

Only the International Committee of the Red Cross responded, renting a morgue refrigerator and supplying limited medications.

“The rest of the organizations did nothing. We hold the international organizations responsible and consider them complicit in the crimes of aggression,” he said.

Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance disposal specialist, reviewed munitions fragments and concluded that the GBU-39 bomb was used multiple times.

“These are precision weapons. The facility was clearly and intentionally targeted,” Ball said.

He added that while Israel has used GBU-39 bombs in Yemen before, this marks the first known instance of US use in the past year.

The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment.

Yemen has become a key transit point for African migrants escaping war and climate disasters in the Horn of Africa.

Many attempt to cross into Saudi Arabia in search of work, facing extreme dangers including detention, abuse, and death.

US Central Command has acknowledged conducting over 1,000 strikes in Yemen since the launch of Operation Rough Rider in mid-March.

The Yemen Data Project recorded at least 158 civilian deaths linked to the campaign. It also reported thirteen attacks on civilian structures between April 1 and April 22.

This is not the first time the Sa’ada facility has been targeted. In 2022, a Saudi-led coalition strike hit the same detention center.

“We saw the terror and shock on the faces of the injured Africans. It never occurred to them that they could be a target,” said Al-Warfi.

“That attack left headless bodies and limbs scattered across the site. This was a grim reminder.”

Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at Crisis Group’s US Program, said the facility should have been placed on a no-strike list.

“The Saudis bombed that detention center in 2022, and the ICRC has been visiting it regularly,” he told Drop Site.

“You would have thought that would have gone on the CENTCOM no-strike list. Or maybe they were willing to absorb that amount of civilian casualties. At a minimum, this tells a story of some sort. It’s pretty damn worrying.”

Niku Jafarnia, a Yemen researcher at Human Rights Watch, echoed concerns about a growing pattern.

“Dozens of civilians killed while working at a port, and dozens of migrants killed in a detention center within two weeks—amongst dozens of other strikes that have killed civilians—is not just an anomaly,” she said.

“It’s a pattern demonstrating that the Trump administration appears to have an even greater disregard for civilian life than his predecessors.”