At least 2,000 children had died on the battlefield in Yemen between January 2020 and May 2021 after being recruited by the Houthi, UN experts said in a new report.
In an annual report to the UN Security Council, the experts said that they investigated some summer camps in schools and a mosque where the Houthis disseminated their ideology and sought to recruit children to fight in Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
The panel of experts identified a list of 1,406 children recruited by the Houthis who had died on the battlefield in 2020 and 562 between January and May in 2021, according to the 300-page report.
"The children are instructed to shout the Houthi slogan 'death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory to Islam,'" the Associated Press news agency quoted the four-member panel of experts as saying.
"In one camp, children as young as seven years of age were taught to clean weapons and evade rockets."
The experts denounced the use of child soldiers in the conflict, and called on all parties "to refrain from using schools, summer camps and mosques to recruit children." They recommended imposing sanctions against those who do so.
The report accused Houthi rebels of violating a UN-imposed arms embargo in Yemen.
“All military and paramilitary forces loyal to the Sanaa-based authorities fall under this definition" have violated the arms embargo, according to the experts.
The report said the Houthi had continued "to source critical components for their weapon systems from companies in Europe and Asia, using a complex network of intermediaries to obscure the chain of custody."
“Most types of uncrewed aerial vehicles, waterborne improvised explosive devices and short-range rockets are assembled in Houthi-controlled areas," it added.
The report did not confirm frequent US and Saudi allegations that Iran is directly involved in the violations.
Tehran admits it supports the Houthi politically but denies it has helped them obtain arms.
The experts said evidence showed that weapons components and other military equipment "continue to be supplied overland to the Houthi forces by individuals and entities based in Oman."
Oman, which shares a border with Yemen, is the only country in the region other than Iran to maintain official links with the Houthi.
The UN report also said that air strikes by the Saudi-led military coalition supporting the Yemen government were continuing "to result in civilian casualties."
