HRW Accuses Yemeni Government Forces of Excessive Force at Southern Protests

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Human Rights Watch has accused Yemeni government forces of using excessive force against protesters during demonstrations in southern Yemen in February. In a report, the organisation described the use of force against crowds it said were largely peaceful, alongside arbitrary arrests carried out without legal justification, calling the conduct of the security forces a serious matter warranting scrutiny.

The protests, according to the report, erupted in the governorates of Aden, Shabwa and Hadramout, where thousands rallied in support of the Southern Transitional Council. The demonstrations were said to have been sparked by escalating tensions following a state of emergency declared in late December 2025, which heightened the political temperature across the south.

While many of the protests reportedly began peacefully, the report said they escalated into violent confrontations following the intervention of government forces. It stated that security forces used live ammunition to disperse crowds, resulting in at least six deaths and numerous injuries, particularly in Aden and Shabwa, including an incident in the Shabwa city of Ataq.

The Southern Transitional Council, whose supporters were at the centre of the protests, is a prominent political force in southern Yemen. Advocating for the interests and aspirations of the south, the council occupies a significant place in the region’s politics, and it has at times been in tension with other components of the anti-Houthi camp despite their shared opposition to the Houthi movement.

The southern regions of Yemen have their own distinct history and political currents, including longstanding aspirations for greater autonomy or independence. These dynamics add a layer of complexity to the situation in the south, where the relationship between southern movements and the broader government has been marked by both cooperation and friction.

The state of emergency referenced in the report reflects the heightened tensions that preceded the protests. Measures of this kind, imposed in response to political or security concerns, can themselves become sources of contention, and the report links the declaration to the escalation of tensions that culminated in the demonstrations.

The use of live ammunition against protesters, as alleged in the report, is among the most serious of the concerns raised. The use of lethal force in policing demonstrations raises significant human rights questions, and allegations of such conduct call for careful examination and, as the organisation urged, investigation and accountability.

Arbitrary arrests, also cited in the report, represent a further concern regarding the conduct of the security forces. Detention without legal justification raises questions about adherence to legal safeguards and the rule of law, and it forms part of the broader pattern of conduct that the organisation documented and criticised.

The concentration of casualties in Aden and Shabwa reflects the intensity of the confrontations in those areas. Aden, the interim capital, and Shabwa, a governorate in the south, were among the focal points of the protests, and the reported deaths and injuries there underscore the seriousness of the events described.

Human Rights Watch, an international organisation that documents and reports on human rights concerns around the world, has been engaged in monitoring the situation in Yemen throughout the conflict. Its reports contribute to international awareness of human rights issues and often call for accountability for violations, as in this case.

The report’s focus on the conduct of government forces reflects the principle that human rights standards apply to all parties, including internationally recognised governments. Scrutiny of the conduct of security forces in policing protests is a common focus of human rights monitoring, reflecting concerns about the protection of the rights to assembly and expression.

The events in the south highlight the internal tensions within the anti-Houthi camp. Despite their shared opposition to the Houthi movement, the various components of this camp, including the government and southern movements, have at times been in conflict, and the protests and the response to them reflect these underlying tensions.

The right to peaceful assembly is recognised under international human rights standards, and the policing of demonstrations is expected to adhere to principles limiting the use of force. Allegations that these standards were not met, as raised in the report, are significant and reflect the concerns that such monitoring is intended to address.

The situation in southern Yemen remains a significant dimension of the country’s broader challenges. The political dynamics of the south, including the aspirations of southern movements and their relationship with the government, are among the factors that will shape the country’s future, and events such as these protests reflect their continuing salience.

The episode also illustrates the delicate position of a government that draws part of its base and much of its territory from the very south where the unrest unfolded. The Southern Transitional Council sits, uneasily, within the broader leadership structure even as it champions southern aspirations that can put it at odds with the central authorities. Confrontations between security forces and southern demonstrators therefore carry risks that extend beyond the immediate human rights concerns, threatening to widen the fissures within the anti-Houthi camp at a moment when its cohesion is already under strain. How the authorities respond to the allegations, and whether they pursue the investigations that rights groups have demanded, may bear on those wider tensions as much as on questions of accountability.

For now, the report by Human Rights Watch adds to the scrutiny of the conduct of Yemeni government forces in the south and to the calls for accountability for the violations it alleges. As tensions in the region persist, the treatment of protesters and the conduct of the security forces remain important concerns within the broader human rights situation in Yemen.