The Assassination of Eftihan Al-Mash’hari in Taiz Highlights the Issue of Child Recruitment in Yemen

Yemenat

Waleed Sanad

On the morning of September 18, the city of Taiz witnessed the assassination of Eftihan Al-Mashhari, Director of the Sanitation and Improvement Fund, who was shot at close range while driving through Senan Roundabout, resulting in her immediate death. The incident sparked waves of local anger and protests, demanding accountability for those responsible.

Following the attack, security forces launched a swift pursuit operation and announced on the morning of September 24 that the main suspect, Mohammad Sadeq Al-Mekhlafi, had been killed during clashes with the security forces. Local reports suggested possible links between the suspect and elements affiliated with Brigade 170, prompting a broader discussion about the responsibility of certain military formations for the city’s security breakdown.

This assassination occurs against the backdrop of a larger crisis involving the recruitment of children and the exploitation of minors in armed violence. Human rights organizations have documented that various parties in the conflict have employed children in combat roles or as auxiliaries, including children under the age of fifteen, a practice considered a war crime under international law. Unverified accounts related to Al-Mash’hari’s case indicate the possible involvement of young minors in the operation, heightening the gravity of the issue if they were indeed recruited by force or inducement.

The persistence of child recruitment is attributed to multiple factors, including the collapse of state institutions, poverty and unemployment, weak education systems, and the targeting of youth through ideology or financial incentives. United Nations and human rights reports confirm that hundreds of children remain associated with conflict parties, and that rehabilitation and educational programs are not progressing fast enough to remove them from the cycle of violence.

Experts and observers are calling for urgent measures, including:

1. An independent and transparent investigation to identify all involved parties and hold them legally accountable, with verification of any child recruitment.

2. Strengthening state authority and the rule of law by dismantling illegal arms networks and restructuring implicated military formations.

3. Protection and rehabilitation programs for children freed from armed groups, including education, health care, and psychological support, with local and international assistance.

4. Awareness campaigns and community accountability initiatives to counter the culture of violence and militarization, along with economic support for impoverished families.

The assassination of Eftihan Al-Mash’hari serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of security lapses and the urgent need to protect children and civilians alike. It underscores the necessity of national efforts to halt child recruitment and to cut off the sources of illicit weaponry.

(Sources: Local reports on the assassination of Eftihan Al-Mash’hari; human rights organizations and United Nations reports on child recruitment in Yemen)