Yemen tragedy: Five boys killed in blast while playing football; artillery shell fired by militias

Five children were killed on Friday night after an explosive device detonated in a residential area of Yemen’s Taiz province, rights groups and eyewitnesses confirmed on Saturday.

The blast occurred in the Al-Hashmah subdistrict as the children were playing football. The Yemen Centre for Human Rights, Eye of Humanity, and Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV alleged the explosion was caused by an artillery shell fired by militias backed by the Islah party, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government in the south.


The United Nations children's agency UNICEF said it was aware of reports about the incident but was unable to verify the details.

Eyewitnesses Ahmed al-Sharee and Khaled al-Areki told the Associated Press that the children were in the middle of a football game when the explosion took place. At least three others were also injured and taken to hospital with minor to moderate wounds.

Another witness, Mahmoud al-Mansi, said the explosive appeared to have been launched from a location controlled by Islah-aligned forces.

The Yemen Centre for Human Rights condemned the incident, releasing a report containing graphic images of the victims. Citing medical staff at Al-Rafai Hospital, the group said the children died from shrapnel injuries. Two were aged 12 and two were 14. The age of the fifth child is still unknown.

Taiz, the provincial capital, remains a major flashpoint in Yemen’s civil war. It has long seen fighting between Iran-backed Houthi forces and militias supported by the Islah party. The city had been under Houthi blockade since 2016, cutting off movement and basic supplies, though key routes have recently been reopened.

Yemen’s civil war erupted in 2014 when the Houthis took control of the capital Sanaa, prompting the internationally recognised government to flee. A Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict the following year in an attempt to restore the government.

Meanwhile, the south remains deeply divided. The Southern Transitional Council, backed by the UAE and advocating for southern independence, controls large parts of the region and maintains its own militia forces.