Aden has become a theatre of bloody urban warfare as Houthi rebels and backers of president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi battle for control of the city in southern Yemen. Since fighting first broke out in mid-March, several amateur videos have surfaced showing child soldiers battling on the frontline on both sides.

These striking images were filmed at night and posted on YouTube on March 31. They show youths battling Shiite Houthi rebels in the streets of Aden, a port city located around 500 km south of the capital Sanaa. One of our Observers on the ground confirmed that teenagers aged between 15 to 17 years old were fighting in the ranks of so-called "popular committees", paramilitary units that back the country's beleaguered president.

Child soldiers are also fighting alongside Houthi militiamen, as shown by several photos currently circulating on social media networks.

This image - uploaded on March 31 - shows children in combat gear at their post not far from Aden.

Fighters for "popular committees" have also posted several photos showing captured Houthi militiamen, claiming that several of the prisoners are adolescents.

"Children fighting for Houthi militias are led to believe that they're battling against al-Qaeda"
Ahmed Yacine is a member of the NGO "Children's Parliament" . He campaigns against the use of child soldiers in Yemen.

Since fighting broke out here in Aden, I have seen several adolescents who weren't any older than 16 taking up arms alongside their fathers or older brothers to fight for "popular committees". They weren't recruited or given proper combat training, and there are not very many of them. The fact that they're taking part in the fighting doesn't seem to have caused much of a stir here.

There are far more child soldiers fighting for Houthi rebels because the militias have been recruiting them for years in the Saada Governorate, the Houthi stronghold in the north.

Their recruitment methods are simple. The militias bait the children's families with the promise of money. They either give the children a regular salary or offer to settle their parents' debt. Sometimes children are even enrolled by force.
The Houthi militias have several training camps in Saada. At first children are taught the group's ideology, then they learn how to use weapons before they're sent to fight on the front lines.

A few days ago, the 'popular committees' arrested more than a dozen Houthi militia fighters in Aden's Crater district. They were around 16 years old. When the teenagers were asked why they were fighting, they responded that their leader had told them that they were being sent to fight against al Qaeda terrorists.

"Yemen's regular army also enlists child soldiers"

Yemen's regular army also enlists child soldiers [Editor's note: a UNICEF report published in 2012 pointed out that the country's regular armed forces included around 40,000 soldiers under the age of 18]. They lure the children to fight by using methods similar to those used by the Houthis and offer them attractive wages [Editor's note: According to one study, they are given a wage equivalent to around 140 euros per month].

Before war broke out, it was unusual to see children carrying weapons in big cities like Sanaa and Aden. On the other hand, it’s always been very commonplace in the countryside. Within tribal circles, carrying a weapon is viewed as a strong outward sign of maturity and virility. Adults therefore encourage their children to carry weapons once they hit puberty. It's a phenomenon rooted in local culture and very difficult to fight against.


Yemen has signed several international treaties aimed at putting an end to the use of children in the army. Yet the country hasn't followed through on its commitments.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, more than half of the 21 million people that make up Yemen's population are under the age of 15.

France24