Yemen: Rights Group Warns of Shelling in Taiz Residential Areas Amid Suspicions of Toxic Substances

Yemen: Rights Group Warns of Shelling in Taiz Residential Areas Amid Suspicions of Toxic Substances
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Humanitarian and health concerns are mounting in Yemen’s Taiz governorate following reports of repeated shelling targeting residential villages in the Jabal Sabir area with projectiles suspected of containing toxic or irritating substances. Local accounts have reported cases of suffocation among civilians, particularly women, children, and elderly people, raising concerns about the potential health consequences of the attacks.

The SAM Organization for Rights and Freedoms has issued an urgent appeal to the international community and the United Nations, calling for immediate intervention to halt attacks on civilians in the areas of Kahlan, in the Sabir Al-Mawadim district, and Duba, in the Al-Aqroudh area of Taiz. According to the organization, Kahlan was subjected to more than 20 hours of intensive shelling, during which over 200 rocket and artillery projectiles reportedly struck residential areas and homes, resulting in deaths and injuries, including among women and children, as well as extensive property damage.

Local testimonies have also indicated that some residents suffered suffocation after projectiles suspected of releasing irritating or gaseous substances landed in their communities. Several injured people were reportedly transferred to hospitals for treatment. However, no laboratory findings have yet confirmed the presence of toxic chemical substances in the projectiles, prompting calls for independent technical investigations to establish their composition and assess their potential health effects.

The SAM Organization warned that continued shelling and restrictions on movement are obstructing the evacuation of injured civilians, the assessment of casualties, and the delivery of urgent medical assistance. It described attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure using heavy weapons as serious violations of international humanitarian law and called for immediate measures to protect civilians.