In a speech three days later, Houthi leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi warned, “Sanaa will not remain neutral,” framing the current maritime tensions as part of a wider conflict targeting the “Islamic nation.” He said that any further military escalation would be met with an “equivalent response,” calling for increased coordination among members of the “axis of resistance” (meaning Iran, the Houthis and Hezbollah). (i24News)

Oil prices have been responding erratically to the changing situation in the Persian Gulf. After sinking 10% last week, oil prices have rebounded this week as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained severely restricted. On April 20, the US Navy fired on and seized an Iranian vessel it accused of attempting to break its blockade. (OilPrice.com)

Map via PCL

The STC was excluded from the peace talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia that opened in 2023. It has been widely accused of human rights violations, including running clandestine prisons in conjunction with UAE forces. It declared self-rule in its areas of control in 2020.

Map of Yemen before 1990 unification via Wikipedia

In Sudan, the WHO reported that over 100 people, including 63 children, were killed Dec. 4 when drone strikes attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit a kindergarten and nearby hospital in South Kordofan. Paramedics and responders were also struck as they tried to help the wounded. In Myanmar’s Rakhine state, a military airstrike on Dec. 11 destroyed the Mrauk-U general hospital, killing at least 31 people and wounding dozens more. It was the 67th attack on a healthcare facility in Myanmar this year, according to the WHO.

Attacks on healthcare facilities killed a record 3,600 people in 2024, mainly in Gaza, Ukraine, Lebanon, Myanmar and Sudan. This year is on course to surpass that toll. In Gaza alone, at least 917 people were killed by Israeli attacks on healthcare facilities between Oct. 7. 2023 and June 11, 2025.

From The New Humanitarian, Dec. 12. Slightly edited, internal links added.

Recent years have also seen attacks on healthcare facilities in Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

Photo: Myanmar Now

HRW emphasized that it is illegal under Yemeni law to make arrests without a warrant and further stated that detention without a legal basis or prompt charges and criminal proceedings violates both domestic and international law.

Niku Jafarnia, HRW Yemen researcher, stated that Houthi authorities “should immediately release all those arbitrarily detained and shift their focus to protecting the rights and fulfilling the needs of those living in areas under their control.” Jafarnia added: “They should also free others arbitrarily detained, including those held for commemorating the September 26 revolution, journalists, lawyers, and dozens of United Nations…staff.”

Houthi authorities have also targeted humanitarian workers, including at least 19 UN staff who were arbitrarily detained on Aug. 31. Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy for Yemen, denounced the move, stating:

I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sana’a and Hodeidah, as well as the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property… These arrests violate the fundamental obligation to respect and protect their safety, dignity, and ability to carry out their essential work in Yemen.

The Houthis are a Zaydi Shi’ite movement that took control of Yemen’s capital city Sanaa in September 2014 and later seized control over much of northern and western Yemen. According to HRW, they have been detaining political opponents since the takeover, though the number of arrests has increased in recent months.

From JURIST, Nov. 29. Used with permission. Internal links added.

Note: Houthi authorities have announced that the detained UN personnel are also to face trial for espionage.

The revolution of Sept. 26, 1962 established the Yemen Arab Republic in North Yemen, which was formally disbanded with Yemen’s unification in 1990.

Map via PCL

The comments came despite weeks of pressure from human rights advocates urging Trump to confront the crown prince over Saudi Arabia’s recent grave abuses, an incomplete list of which is said to include record numbers of executions, torture of dissidents, systematic repression of women, and the killing of hundreds of Ethiopian migrants at the Yemen border.

Human rights groups have also documented prison sentences for social media posts (such as the case of Salma al-Shehab), enforced disappearances, and widespread abuse of migrant workers under the kafala sponsorship system. Several young men who were minors when arrested remain at risk of execution.

Human Rights Watch pointed out that Trump’s meeting with bin Salman came just five months after Saudi authorities executed journalist Turki al-Jasser, who had been arrested for social media posts critical of the regime in 2018 and charged with “high treason.” Executions in Saudi Arabia are carried out by beheading with a sword.

At a press gathering following their meeting, Trump described the crown prince as an “extremely respected man” and a “very good friend of mine,” adding: “What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else.”

When a reporter asked about US intelligence conclusions that the crown prince orchestrated the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump dismissed the question as coming from “fake news” and said the Saudi leader “knew nothing about it.” The president described the late journalist, who had been critical of the crown prince’s policies, as “extremely controversial,” saying “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman.”

The crown prince took a less defensive approach to the question, saying that Khashoggi’s death was “painful” and “a huge mistake,” and claiming Saudi Arabia has improved its safeguards to prevent similar incidents.

From JURIST, Nov. 18. Used with permission. Internal links added.

Photo of Mohammed bin Salman’s 2017 White House visit via Wikimedia Commons

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on July 16 criticized attacks launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on two commercial cargo ships in the Red Sea between July 6 and July 9. HRW characterized the attacks as violations of the laws of war amounting to war crimes and called for their immediate cessation. “It is critical for concerned governments to recognize war crimes, regardless of which party is responsible,” said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen researcher at HRW. “The Houthis should end all attacks on ships not taking part in the conflict and immediately release the crew members in their custody.”

Houthi drones and missiles targeted and sunk the MV Magic Seas and MV Eternity C in the Red Sea, killing and injuring several crew members. The Houthis have since held in detention six rescued crew members.

The 1994 San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, widely accepted as a reflection of customary international law regarding the conduct of war, provides a strict limitation on attacks on maritime objectives.

HRW argued that there was no evidence that either ship constituted a legitimate military target under the laws of armed conflict. The San Remo Manual’s Article 41 limits attacks to military objectives and clarifies that merchant vessels are generally considered civilian objects. Article 67 forbids attacks on merchant vessels flying the flag of neutral states to a conflict unless they “made an effective contribution to the enemy’s military action.” Examples may include engaging in belligerent acts, carrying troops or military materials, or presenting an immediate threat to the attacking vessel. Article 166 forbids passengers on board neutral vessels from being made into prisoners of war unless they are members of the enemy’s armed forces or have personally committed an act of hostility against the captor.

HRW also cited “long-term environmental threats” from the attacks, noting that oil slicks have been detected spreading from the sites where the vessels were struck and sunk.

MV Magic Seas, a Greek-operated and Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, was carrying fertilizer and steel billets from China to Turkey. A passing merchant vessel rescued 22 crew members who had abandoned ship. MV Eternity C, also a Greek-owned and Liberian-flagged commercial vessel, was sailing from Somalia to Saudi Arabia after delivering humanitarian aid for the United Nations World Food Programme. Four crew members were killed and six are believed to be in Houthi custody.

The Houthis have attempted to justify the attacks as part of armed conflict with Israel that began in October 2023, stating that the attacked ships violated the Houthi ban on dealings with Israeli ports and refused calls to stop. The Houthi statement claimed the Eternity C was bound for “Umm al-Rashrash in occupied Palestine,” meaning the Israeli port of Eilat. However, this has not been corroborated.

The attacks have been met with swift condemnation from the international community. The EU called the attacks a “serious escalation endangering maritime security in a vital waterway,” warning that the attacks “directly threaten regional peace and stability, global commerce and freedom of navigation.” The EU also warned that the attacks could directly and negatively impact Yemen’s fragile humanitarian situation.

The attacks come at a critical moment for peace in the region, with a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas pending and Iran (the Houthis’ sponsor) weighing whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program in the aftermath of Israeli and US air-strikes.

From JURIST, July 24. Used with permission.

Map via PCL

From The New Humanitarian, June 20

Photo: CENTCOM

As President, I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people. I remain committed to engaging with those countries willing to cooperate to improve information-sharing and identity-management procedures, and to address both terrorism-related and public-safety risks. Nationals of some countries also pose significant risks of overstaying their visas…which increases burdens on immigration and law enforcement…and often exacerbates other risks related to national security and public safety.

Commentators have criticized the ban, pointing out that it disproportionately affects Muslim-majority and African countries. Amnesty International’s secretary general Agnes Callamard lambasted Trump for the action, calling it inhumane:

President Trump’s new travel ban is discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel. By targeting people based on their race, religion, or nationality, from countries with predominantly Black, Brown and Muslim-majority populations, this blanket ban constitutes racial discrimination under international human rights law. It also spreads hate and disinformation, reinforcing the notion that these populations are more likely to pose security risks or engage in acts of violence.

Leaders of affected countries have also denounced the United States for the action. In a Facebook post, Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno announced a corresponding ban on US citizens and jabbed at Trump for his recent receipt of a Qatari luxury jet:

I have instructed the government in accordance with the principles of reciprocity and suspended the granting of visas to citizens of the United States of America. Chad has neither airplanes nor billions of dollars to give, but Chad has its dignity and its pride.

The ban extends almost completely to nationals of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Additionally, more partial bans have been placed on nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The restrictions bear a striking resemblance to Trump’s 2017 travel ban, which blocked travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries. Some of these countries—namely Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen—have suffered under both bans.

Trump justified the current ban in almost identical fashion as the 2017 ban, relying on certain provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Section 212(f) of the act allows the president to deny entry into the country if doing so “would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.” The administration additionally cited 215(a), which allows the president to block individuals’ entry if they knowingly make false statements or otherwise engage in fraudulent activity.

For both bans, Trump claimed that restrictions were not based on religion or race but rather countries’ deficient screening processes, high terrorist activity, poor information sharing, and high overstay rates.

After multiple challenges, the US Supreme Court ultimately upheld Trump’s first travel ban under the INA and the US Constitution.

Trump stated: “We will restore the travel ban…and keep the radical Islamic terrorists out of our country that was upheld by the Supreme Court.”

From JURIST, June 5. Used with permission.

Note: The 2017 Trump travel ban was overturned by Biden on his first day in office, Jan. 20, 2021.

Photo: Minneapolis protest of 2018 Supreme Court decision upholding Trump’s first travel ban. Credit: Fibonacci Blue/Flickr

On April 14, Bukele visited the White House for a televised press conference attended by Trump and leading members of his cabinet. An opportunity to celebrate the close relationship between the two leaders, the meeting was chummy from the beginning. Seated next to Trump, Bukele bragged that, though the press likes to critique him for “imprisoning thousands,” he had actually “liberated millions” in his country (meaning from violent crime). Trump then interrupted him to say that was a “very good line” and asked if he could “use it.”

“You have 350 million people to liberate,” Bukele replied, even if Trump will have to “imprison some.” Bukele played to all of Trump’s favorites: he called the border crackdown “remarkable,” asked why the media was not giving Trump the credit he deserved, and made a joke about “DEI hires.”

Challenged by the press on the case of Kilmar Abrego García—a Maryland man who the government has admitted was wrongly deported to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), El Salvador’s maximum security prison—Trump, the members of his cabinet, and Bukele himself addressed the case head-on. The gathered leaders oscillated between spreading falsehoods about court rulings, slandering Abrego García as a “terrorist,” and feigning helplessness as to how they could possibly return him to the United States. Even though the Supreme Court had unequivocally sided with Abrego García on April 10—unanimously instructing the US government to take steps to “facilitate” his return—members of the Trump administration recast the ruling as “9-0 in our favor.”

In its ruling, the Court stopped short of ordering Abrego García’s return, citing the constitutional principle that the executive has sole discretion over foreign policy. Nevertheless, the administration distorted the nature of the ruling by arguing that Abrego Garcia’s return was “up to El Salvador” and that their only obligation was to “facilitate” his return if Bukele chose to free him. Asked by the press if he would release him, Bukele pretended his hands were tied: “I hope you’re not suggesting that I smuggle a terrorist into the United States. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? Of course I’m not going to do it. The question is preposterous.”

So far, the Trump administration has provided no evidence to substantiate the claim that Abrego García had ties to criminal activity. Following the White House press conference, the New York Times released the latest in a string of media reports which found that of the original 238 migrants deported to El Salvador (Venezuelans supposedly linked to the Tren de Aragua crime network), upwards of 90% had no criminal convictions in the United States. Despite multiple court orders that cite rampant violations of due process, the deportations have continued; on April 13, the US sent another 10 alleged “criminals” to the country.

In a scathing ruling released on April 16, US District Judge James Boasberg said there was “probable cause” to hold US government officials in criminal contempt of court for ignoring his injunction against the deportation proceedings. In an effort to call attention to the matter, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen boarded a plane to El Salvador and demanded access to Abrego García. After initially being turned away, Van Hollen met briefly with Abrego García at a hotel in San Salvador on the evening of Apri 17. Bukele, with characteristic snark, tweeted after the meeting that Abrego García had “risen from the ‘death camps,'” to sip “margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador.” (In fact, photos appeared to indicate they were drinking water.) He also made clear that Abrego García is not returning to the United States anytime soon: “Now that he’s confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.”

The Trump administration’s entrenchment on the matter suggests that the deportation of migrants to Salvadoran prisons will not only continue but likely expand. Fresh off meddling in Ecuadorian affairs in the lead-up to their recent election, former Blackwater CEO and mercenary boss Erik Prince reportedly pitched the Trump administration on a plan to vastly expand deportations to El Salvador. The proposal relies on the ludicrous idea of avoiding legal challenges by designating part of the Salvadoran prison CECOT as US territory. Though it is unclear to what extent the talks have advanced, the Trump administration has allegedly already discussed the idea of the United States owning part of a prison complex that has been repeatedly hit by allegations of massive human rights violations.

From NACLA Update, April 18. Some internal links added.

See our last report on the human rights crisis in El Salvador.

Photo: WikiMedia via Jurist

From The New Humanitarian, April 4

Note: Fluctuations in the price of oil and grain since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022 have contributed to popular privation and unrest worldwide.

Photo: Down To Earth