{
  "id": 12147328,
  "title": "Yemen’s child soldiers: How poverty and war are pushing minors to the frontlines",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/yemens-child-soldiers-how-poverty-and-war-are-pushing-minors-to-the",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-05T12:01:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemens-child-soldiers-how-poverty-and-war-are-pushing-minors-frontlines"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Yemen is experiencing a troubling phenomenon: the recruitment of child soldiers by both government-aligned forces and the Houthi rebels. Poverty and the brutal conflict are pushing minors to take up arms, with dire consequences for their futures.\n\nZeenab Ibrahim, a 17-year-old fighter, joined government forces to defend his village against Houthi aggression. Though not formally enlisted, he fights alongside his brother and cousins, using his father's Kalashnikov rifle. He views the conflict as a temporary struggle to reclaim his village, with no intention of pursuing a military career. Ibrahim plans to return to his studies and become an automotive engineer once the fighting ends.\n\nThis is not an isolated case. As soon as hostilities resumed in Yemen, child soldiers resurfaced amid accusations from both sides over their recruitment practices. The United Nations has documented 564 cases of child recruitment and use in Yemen between 2021 and 2023, with 345 linked to the Houthis and 210 to Yemen's armed forces. Children as young as 8 years old have been recruited, with 27 under the age of 15 engaged in combat. Most of these children are used in support roles, such as guards at military checkpoints, informants, and drivers.\n\nThe UN's Moral Guidance Department, however, maintains a strict stance against child recruitment, strictly prohibiting it and ensuring children captured by government forces are referred to appropriate authorities. Yet, reports reveal that government forces also encounter children as young as 10 years old on the battlefield. These minors are treated as children rather than adult combatants.\n\nThe SAM Organisation for Rights and Liberties attributes the rising recruitment of child soldiers to the pervasive poverty in Yemen, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict.",
  "summary": "Yemen’s child soldiers: How poverty and war are pushing minors to the frontlines Submitted by MEE correspondent on Mon, 10/05/2026 - 09:35 A 17-year-old fighter tells MEE he joined government-aligned forces to defend his village, as rights groups warn indoctrination is fuelling recruitment A Yemeni boy carries a rifle during a Palestine solidarity rally in Sanaa, 12 July 2024 (Mohammed…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "Yemen’s child soldiers: How poverty and war are pushing minors to the frontlines",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/yemens-child-soldiers-how-poverty-and-war-are-pushing-minors-to-the-12169317",
        "published": "2026-10-05T12:01:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}