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Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) strongly condemns, in the harshest and most unequivocal terms, the horrific terrorist crime that struck the city of Taiz on the morning of Thursday,
December 18, 2025, as a result of the explosion of an improvised explosive device at the gate of the Yemeni Islah Party headquarters.
According to information documented by the organization’s field team, the attack occurred on Jamal Street in Al-Mudhaffar District, in the heart of Taiz, during peak hours in a densely populated civilian area. The explosion coincided with schoolchildren returning home, significantly heightening the risk to civilians and expanding the scope of harm. The attack resulted in approximately fifteen casualties, including those killed and injured, among them children, women, party leaders, neighborhood residents, and building guards. It also caused extensive material damage and triggered widespread panic among the population.
Testimonies collected by the organization indicate that the explosive device was intended to directly target the party headquarters. A motorcycle driver attempted to enter the building with the device disguised as a package containing a battery and solar panel, claiming it was a delivery from a bus driver who had come from Aden. The guards refused to let it inside, so the package was left at the gate, where it exploded moments later.
The explosion claimed the lives of four individuals: five-year-old Hisham Mohammed Ahmed Abdullah; Ibrahim Nu’man Al-Shara’i, a leader of the Islah Party; Mohammed Abdullah Saeed Mughlis, another party leader, who later succumbed to his injuries; and a fourth victim whose identity remains unknown. Eleven others sustained serious injuries, including two girls and two women, as well as party leaders and building guards. All of the wounded were transferred to hospitals in Taiz for medical treatment, with several cases reported to be in critical condition.
Women Journalists Without Chains affirms that the targeting of civilians through the detonation of an explosive device in a populated civilian area constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and applicable national laws. Such acts amount to terrorism, as they are intended to kill civilians, inflict serious harm, and spread fear among the population.
The organization further stresses that targeting the headquarters of a civilian political party represents a grave assault on the right to peaceful political activity and on the principle of political pluralism guaranteed under constitutional and legal frameworks. This crime reflects a dangerous escalation in the use of violence to intimidate or eliminate political actors, threatening social peace, undermining public security, and eroding the foundations of the rule of law.
In this context, Women Journalists Without Chains calls on the competent authorities in Taiz Governorate to undertake an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation into this crime, to prosecute all those responsible, and to ensure accountability in accordance with national law and international legal standards. The organization also urges the authorities to take effective measures to protect civilians and civilian facilities and to prevent the recurrence of such criminal acts.
Women Journalists Without Chains extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the families of the victims and wishes a swift and full recovery to all those injured. The organization affirms its full solidarity with the families of the victims and with the people of Taiz in the face of these grave crimes and violations, and reiterates its commitment to the protection of civilians, the defense of fundamental rights, and the pursuit of justice.
Released by:
Women Journalists Without Chains – December 19, 2025
