The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights yesterday stated that 16 children were killed or wounded after being targeted by a Houthi bombardment of the city of Taiz, northwest of Aden, during Eid El-Fitr.

The ministry said in a statement that “the children were targeted with shells and snipers stationed on the outskirts of Taiz, the main exits of which have been besieged by the Houthi movement since August 2015, despite the fact that the city is mostly controlled by government forces”.

The statement added that “the Houthi militia committed crimes against the population of Taiz, imposing an unjust siege for four years and randomly bombarding densely populated neighbourhoods which led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians of all ages.”

The ministry called on local and international organisations to “document and condemn all crimes committed against the inhabitants of Taiz,” pointing out that 16 children were killed and injured in the city in four days.

For the last five years, Yemen has been witnessing a war between pro-government forces and the Houthi movement, which has been in control of provinces including Sanaa since September 2014.

The United Nations is making efforts to reach a peaceful solution to end the war, which has left most of the Yemeni population in need of humanitarian assistance.

The complexity of the Yemeni conflict is compounded by regional interventions. Since March 2015, an Arab military coalition led by Saudi Arabia has supported government forces against the Houthis, who are accused of receiving support from Iran.