Houthis Claim US Airstrike Killed 68 Africans at Migrant Detention Center

U.S. aircraft have been hitting targets across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen over the past six weeks to end attacks on a critical sea lane.

A man walks across the rubble of a building destroyed by a U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen on April 27, 2025. Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

A Houthi-controlled ministry said on April 28 that a U.S. airstrike killed at least 68 Africans at a migrant detention center in northern Yemen.

The Yemen News Agency (Saba) said it received a statement from the civil defense department of the Ministry of Interior, reporting that the strike in Saada governorate, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group, killed at least 68 and wounded 47 African migrants.

The Epoch Times reached out to the U.S. Department of Defense for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, and other African countries often cross the Bab el-Mandab Strait to Yemen en route to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, seeking work.

Graphic footage broadcast by the Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies.

The Epoch Times was unable to verify the claims or the footage.

On March 15, President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen, vowing to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Iran-backed terrorists end their attacks on a critical sea lane.

U.S. aircraft have been consistently hitting targets across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen over the past six weeks in what is known as Operation Rough Rider.

“Since March 15, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces have conducted an intense and sustained campaign targeting the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen to restore freedom of navigation and American deterrence,” U.S. Central Command said in an April 27 statement.

“These operations have been executed using detailed and comprehensive intelligence ensuring lethal effects against the Houthis while minimizing risk to civilians.”

‘Minimizing Risk to Civilians’

“To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations. We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do,” U.S. Central Command’s statement reads.

The statement said Central Command has struck more than 800 targets since the start of Operation Rough Rider. These strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders, including senior Houthi missile and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) officials, according to Central Command.

Iran has supplied drones and drone technology to its allies in the so-called Axis of Resistance, which includes the Houthis in Yemen and the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Both have used drones against Israel, although the Houthis have tended to target shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandab Strait.

In Oct. 2024, Central Command sent B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to target underground bunkers in Yemen, which it said were used by the Houthis to store missiles and drones.

The Houthi terrorist group draws members from northern Yemen’s Shiite Muslim Zaydi community.

Officially known as Ansar Allah, they have controlled the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and a swath of territory in north and west Yemen since 2014.

On March 4, Ansar Allah was formally designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State.

In a statement announcing the designation, the State Department said, “Since 2023, the Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as U.S. service members defending freedom of navigation and our regional partners. Most recently, the Houthis spared Chinese-flagged ships while targeting American and allied vessels.”

On April 18, a U.S. strike on the port of Ras Isa killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others.

In its latest statement, Central Command said, “U.S. strikes destroyed the ability of Ras Isa Port to accept fuel which will begin to impact Houthi ability to not only conduct operations, but also to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their terror activities.”

In 2024, the State Department published a status report on human trafficking in Yemen, part of which country is controlled by the Saudi-backed Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG). The ROYG fought a long war against the Houthis, which was paused in 2022 after the United Nations brokered a cease-fire.

The report said, “The sustained insurgency by the Houthis continued to be a significant obstacle to the ROYG’s ability to combat all forms of human trafficking, including the recruitment or use of child soldiers.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.