Alexander Bee/IOM

Ethiopian migrants on the shore of Djibouti (file photo).

Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the deadly U.S. strike on a migrant detention center in Yemen that killed and injured dozens of Ethiopians. The rights group said the strike carried out on April 28, 2025, against Houth targets in Yemen amounted to an "indiscriminate attack" that violated international humanitarian law.

"The harrowing testimonies from survivors paint a clear picture of a civilian building, packed with detainees, being bombed without distinction," Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Kristine Beckerle, said. Beckerle said the attack was a "lethal failure by the U.S. military to verify whether the object attacked was a military objective".

Scores of African migrants were detained at the facility when the strike happened, killing more than 60. Survivors told Amnesty they were trapped inside the facility when the first blast hit a nearby building. As they tried to flee, guards reportedly fired warning shots to prevent them from escaping before a second air strike.