Torn apart - Yemen in the grip of the Houthi militia | DW Documentary

The Houthi movement has established totalitarian rule in northern Yemen. Who are these militants who invoke the Prophet Mohammed, fire rockets at Israel and paralyze world trade with their attacks on Red Sea shipping?

Ten years of civil war have brought Yemen to its knees. In the north, Houthi militias have established a strictly isolated dominion in which oppression, displacement and hunger are rife. It’s a police state, where the security apparatus monitors where people go and what they say. Meanwhile, international organizations describe the situation in Yemen as one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

Ten years ago, Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, was captured by Houthi fighters, forcing the internationally recognized government to the south. Today, patched-together flags of both Yemen and Gaza fly over the walls of the old city center. The atmosphere is fueled by Houthi propaganda. Israel's attacks on Gaza bring back memories in Yemen, where thousands of civilians have died in airstrikes by the Saudi-led, Western-backed military alliance. Everywhere, there are pictures of militiamen who have been killed in the fighting — often, they look like children.

Recently, Houthi attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea have brought the militia back into the public eye. Waging what they describe as a holy war helps them domestically, allowing them to divert people’s dissatisfaction towards an external enemy.

This documentary provides a rare look at the Houthis and the territory they control. The filmmakers meet fighters, but also the victims of Houthi militias — Yemenis fighting desperately for their children’s survival, who have almost given up hope of peace.

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