Yemeni Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani has confirmed that Houthi militias are tampering with the minds of children and luring them for recruitment on the battlefields in Yemen.
After posting video clips on his Twitter account explaining the Houthis’ method of brainwashing young children, he confirmed this in statements to the Yemeni news agency Saba: “Iran-linked militias are clearly announcing their targets from summer centers, which they establish in areas under their control, namely the mobilization of children, in gross violation of international laws and conventions.
He also added that the militias are openly talking through their media about luring children into brainwashing them with extremist ideas, teaching them how to fight and throwing them to the front as fuel for their absurd battles.
In addition, he explained that “the tens of thousands of children mobilized by al-Houthi into their camps to trap them with their dark ideas not only pose a threat to the social fabric and civil peace, but also constitute a ticking time bomb.” threaten regional and international security and peace,” as he put it.
1- Terrorist militia of Iran openly mobilizes children in He controlled areas to summer centers, brainwash them with Iranian extremist ideas by teaching them fight& sending them to the front as fuel for its absurd war and in realization of Iranian expansionist program rice.twitter.com/UzRGqiCu0a
— Muammar Al-Eryani (@ERYANIM) May 17, 2022
He held the international community responsible for remaining silent in the face of the largest child recruitment in human history, ignoring the danger this crime poses to Yemen and the region, he said.
It is noteworthy that many Yemeni associations and organizations have previously warned about the dangers of summer camps set up by militias, and have also warned about this problem of brainwashing as well as youth recruitment on the front lines.
A senior Houthi military official reported in 2018 that 18,000 children had been recruited by then, with former child soldiers confirming that boys as young as 10 had been recruited.
Whereas the United Nations has indicated in previous reports that it has verified the recruitment of nearly 3,500 Yemeni children.