Houthis Under Accusation Over Chemical Weapons Use… What Do the Evidence Really Reveal?

The Houthi group is facing accusations of using shells suspected of containing toxic substances in Taiz Governorate, following reports of civilians and members of the popular resistance suffering from suffocation and fainting, amid calls for a technical and international investigation to determine the nature of the substances used and responsibility for firing them.

According to a statement published by the Yemeni News Agency “Saba,” the local authorities in Taiz announced that they had received field reports from several fronts in the governorate, most recently Al-Aqroudh and Kahlan, concerning the Houthis’ use of shells suspected of containing internationally prohibited toxic substances.

According to the statement, the reports point to previous incidents in which civilians and fighters suffered from suffocation, some of which were accompanied by loss of consciousness, necessitating verification of the causes of these symptoms and their possible connection to substances released by the shells.

The local authorities called for documenting the cases, testimonies, and medical reports, and for conducting an urgent technical investigation to identify the substances used. They also called on the United Nations and relevant international bodies to support verification efforts.

They affirmed that any violations established by the investigations would be followed up and pursued through the competent legal mechanisms. However, the published statement did not include a specific number of injured persons or laboratory test results conclusively identifying the substance.

These reports place the nature of the shells used in Taiz at the center of the investigation. However, establishing the use of a chemical weapon requires identifying the substance, linking it to the injuries, verifying the means by which it was delivered, and determining the party responsible.

According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a chemical weapon includes the use of a substance to intentionally cause death or harm through its toxic properties, as well as munitions and devices designed for this purpose.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, international humanitarian law prohibits the use of toxic chemical substances as weapons in armed conflicts.

Previously, the United Nations Panel of Experts on Yemen addressed shipments of chemical materials suspected of being linked to weapons manufacturing, while explaining their potential uses.

According to a United Nations report, approximately five tonnes of chemical materials were seized in Aden in February 2023. The Security Belt Forces stated that the materials had been destined for the Houthis.

The experts explained that aluminium powder among the seized materials could be used in the manufacture of explosives and rocket fuel. These uses are different from exploiting the toxic properties of substances to cause harm.

Investigating the reports from Taiz requires determining the timing and location of each incident, reviewing the records of injured persons and doctors’ testimonies, and examining samples from the sites and ammunition remnants by specialists, while documenting the methods used to collect and preserve the evidence.

According to data from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Yemen became a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force for the country on November 1, 2000.