A/HRC/18/21 The Mohamasheen community 69. According to information received by the Mission, members of the Mohamasheen community in Ta’izz were threatened with destruction of their homes and businesses if they did not participate in demonstrations. A 17-year-old and a 14-year-old were reportedly attacked and severely beaten, allegedly because their families supported the Government. Two men and another boy from the community were allegedly abducted and beaten with electric cables. One member of the community informed the Mission that in past elections, the authorities had mobilized the community in support of the Government, thus making the community a target for the current demonstrators. Internally displaced persons 70. According to estimates,16 there are about 400,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen, more than half due to the pre-existing conflict with the Huthis in the north. The Mission received information indicating that since May 2011, hundreds of IDPs have been arriving in Aden every day. Approximately 9,500 persons have been displaced in Arhab, and some now reside in caves. Fighting in Sana’a, which lasted for about three weeks, was reported to have displaced around 9,000 persons. The Mission heard reports of alleged attacks by the army, air force and naval units against travelling IDPs in Abyan; it met with survivors, including women and children, of such attacks at Al-Naqeeb Hospital in Aden. Refugees 71. Despite its poverty, Yemen has never wavered from a generous policy of hosting refugees from Somalia to whom it continues to grant prima facie refugee status. On 15 July 2011, reports indicated that more than 4,000 refugees from the Horn of Africa, some of whom had been hosted by Yemen for around two decades, were displaced following confrontations in Sana’a, Ta’izz, Abyan and Lahj. These refugees had already suffered from the economic hardship in the country, with many no longer able to support themselves, and were requesting to be brought to a camp operated by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In July 2011, refugees seeking resettlement besieged the UNHCR office in Sana’a.17 V. Conclusions and recommendations 72. The Mission observed an overall situation in which many Yemenis, peacefully calling for greater freedoms, an end to corruption and respect for the rule of law, were met with an excessive and disproportionate use of lethal force by the State. Hundreds have been killed and thousands have suffered injuries, including loss of limbs. 73. In March 2011, 53 persons were reportedly killed in Change Square in Sana’a, an incident which led to the resignation of a number of ministers and officials, as well as the defection of General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, who pledged to send his troops to protect the peaceful demonstrators in the Square. In another major incident in May 2011, following a riot and the brief kidnapping of security officials, Freedom Square in Ta’izz was forcefully cleared by Government security officials. Tents were burned 16 17 OCHA, Yemen Humanitarian Emergency - Situation Report No. 6, 3 August 2011, available at http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/fullreport_77.pdf. OCHA, Yemen Humanitarian Emergency - Situation Report No. 4, 15 July 2011, available at http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Full_Report_1728.pdf. 15