A US airstrike on Monday targeted a detention center for African migrants in Saada Governorate, northern Yemen, killing at least 68 people. Photo: via Saba News agency.
The US attack on a migrant detention center in the Saada Governorate of northern Yemen killed at least 68 people and wounded 47 others.
Yemen’s Executive Mine Action Center (YEMAC) in Sanaa announced on Tuesday that its technical teams had discovered remnants of a US-made GBU-39 JDAM bunker-buster bomb used in the American attack on a detention center for African migrants.
The attack in the Saada Governorate of northern Yemen killed at least 68 people and wounded 47 others.
According to SABA, the Yemen news agency, YEMAC said in a statement that “the use of such highly explosive weapons against civilian infrastructure, without taking the most basic precautionary measures to protect civilians and detention facilities, constitutes a grave violation of international law under Article 8 of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.”
The #Yemen Executive Mine Action Center (YEMAC) noted that the use of the US-made GBU-39 JDAM bunker-buster bomb “leads to a widespread rise in cancer cases, congenital deformities, and fatal births."#Saadahttps://t.co/wIQf30g7J2
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 30, 2025
It also noted that the evidence and scale of destruction confirm “that this type of US weapon was responsible, further corroborated by published reports on the US Central Command (CENTCOM) page regarding the arming of American aircraft with such internationally prohibited munitions.”
‘Internationally Banned’
SABA reported that the statement highlighted that this bomb is among “the most dangerous internationally banned weapons, with catastrophic effects on civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Upon detonation, temperatures reach 3,500°C, leading to widespread cancer, birth defects, and fatal deformities, the report added.
“It also devastates the environment, contaminating soil, air, and groundwater, while obliterating natural life in affected areas,” the report continued.
YEMAC stressed the urgent need to comply with international humanitarian law, including the obligation to protect civilians’ right to life and to refrain from using banned bombs in indiscriminate attacks that cause mass civilian casualties and severe damage to civilian infrastructure, it noted.
Images broadcast by Al Masirah TV channel showed the aftermath of Monday’s attack, with widespread destruction at the targeted site and wounded individuals being evacuated. The channel also reported that the bodies of African migrants were scattered across the area.
🔗https://t.co/IhQuLZhYiB pic.twitter.com/SqTAKRpVfQ
— OCHA Yemen (@OCHAYemen) April 29, 2025
The United States has justified its ongoing airstrikes by claiming they are targeting Ansarallah military positions in an effort to restore “freedom of navigation” in the region.
However, these strikes have led to significant civilian casualties, with human rights organizations and progressive lawmakers in the US questioning the legality and ethics of the operations.
Dozens Killed in US Strikes on Western Yemen’s Hodeidah Port
‘Unthinkable’
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) condemned the attack on the migrant detention centre.
“It is unthinkable that while people are detained and have nowhere to escape, they can also be caught in the line of fire,” said Christine Cipolla, ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen, in a statement.
“This attack underscores how civilians in Yemen are increasingly exposed to death, grievous injury, and deepening psychological trauma,” Cipolla added.
Last month, the US approved an emergency $3 billion weapons sale to Israel, including bombs and demolition equipment.
The arms sales include 35,529 general-purpose bombs weighing around 1,000 kilograms each and 4,000 bunker-buster bombs of the same weight.
