Leaked footage of women at night in Saudi-backed frontlines sparks outrage in Yemen

TAIZ, Nov. 31 (YPA) – Video footage circulated by Islah Party-aligned activists showing several women present at night within positions belonging to Saudi-backed forces in Taiz Governorate has sparked widespread outrage across Yemen.

The newly circulated footage, which gained traction on social media over the past few hours, provoked heavy backlash from politicians and human rights advocates, who characterized the deployment of women by Islah field commanders to combat areas in Taiz as an “unethical practice.”

Human rights figures and politicians accused Islah party leadership of pushing women onto frontlines to use them as human shields for their armed personnel, as well as attempting to exploit female casualties for leverage before international humanitarian organizations.

Activists called on the leadership to immediately withdraw women from engagement lines with Sanaa forces—whether in the Saber district, around the periphery of Taiz city, or other areas—holding field leaders of the Saudi-backed mobilizations fully responsible for actions that contradict Yemeni customs, traditions, and tribal norms.

“Yemeni Press Agency” had previously published footage on Sunday showing women positioned at several Saudi-backed frontlines in the Taiz countryside in recent days.

YPA