Yemeni families describe searches for missing relatives amid renewed fighting

Renewed fighting is obstructing Yemeni families' efforts to establish what happened to missing relatives, Al Jazeera reported on October 13. Families remain uncertain whether loved ones were killed, captured or left unable to contact home.

Munif's family has searched for him since he left Sanaa in 2020 to fight with the Houthis. His brother Mohammed told reporters that fellow villagers who returned could not explain what happened to him. The family considers different possibilities but has no confirmation of either his death or captivity.

Relatives of Abdulaziz, a 24-year-old who fought with the Houthis in Marib, have not heard from him for two months. His brother Ahmed said he previously called roughly every ten days. Their parents continue to seek direct confirmation of his fate.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said in early October that it had received more than 1,800 tracing requests in Yemen since July. These are requests, not a confirmed death toll. The report also cites an August 2025 study by rights organisation Mwatana, which documented 2,120 victims of enforced disappearance between September 2014 and July 2025.

Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies researcher Yazeed al-Jeddawy told Al Jazeera that humanitarian specialists need safe access to recover remains and preserve evidence that can help identify the dead.