A/HRC/42/CRP.1 “From dawn until noon we were taking the injured and the dead to the MSF hospital, our group took around 60 injured people. They had serious shrapnel injuries and had lost body parts. At noon we took a lunch break outside my house, and 19 of the medical volunteers stood together in one group. It was quiet for a moment. Then the explosion hit the 19 right in front of me. I passed out and gained consciousness again at the MSF hospital. The mortar killed all 19. I still have 13 pieces of shrapnel in my leg. The remaining pieces are so deep in my veins that the hospitals in Aden can’t safely remove them, and I do not have the money to go abroad.” Medical volunteer and victim of the Dar Sa’ad incident124 138. On 19 July 2015, Houthi-Saleh fighters fired mortar and artillery rounds into residential neighbourhoods of Dar Sa’ad, repeatedly hitting crowded civilian areas and residential buildings. The shelling originated from Houthi-Saleh positions established in hotels and other high buildings on the Aden-Ta’izz main road and the al-Karaa roundabout on the outskirts of the district. Residents of Dar Sa’ad referred to the area as the ‘sniper’s road’ and reported the presence of sniper positions on the al-Ghoweizi building.125 The 19 July shelling occurred after Houthi-Saleh fighters suffered a defeat by the Resistance during the morning, after which they started losing ground in Aden. 126 The Resistance eventually pushed Houthi-Saleh fighters out of Dar Sa’ad on that same evening.127 139. The shelling in Dar Sa’ad on 19 July resulted in the killing of 107 civilians, including 32 women and 29 children, and the injury of 198 civilians, including 42 women and 28 children, as well as the destruction of 14 civilian homes.128 The victims included displaced populations, which had sought shelter in Dar Sa’ad. The 19 July attack was the deadliest among a series of attacks involving apparently indiscriminate shelling and small arms fire against civilians and civilian objects in Dar Sa’ad throughout the Houthi-Saleh offensive in Aden.129 140. Intense shelling on 19 July started around 08:00 hrs and continued until about 11:00 hrs; it resumed briefly around 13:00 hrs. The shelling concentrated on several residential neighbourhoods of Dar Sa’ad. Areas that were hit included al-Ghaleel, al-Sharqiya, and alBasateen areas, the vicinity of Sheikhan Mosque, al-Rahma Mosque, and the al-Shokani School, which harboured a large number of displaced people. 130 141. The shelling destroyed numerous civilian buildings and many died when these collapsed.131 The shelling also hit heavily populated areas of the district. Several rounds landed in the vicinity of the Sheikhan Mosque, at a water collection point, killing around 10 civilians and injuring more than 20. This was an important water collection point for the area and the Houthi-Saleh fighters must have known that dozens of civilians gathered there every day to collect water.132 142. In Dar Sa’ad, consecutive strikes were also documented. After a first round was fired on a house and did not cause casualties, a second artillery round killed and injured civilians who gathered to see what had happened.133 In another instance, after an artillery 124 Confidential Sources on File. Confidential Sources on File. 126 Confidential Sources on File. 127 Confidential Sources on File. 128 Confidential Sources on File. See also United Nations, OHCHR Yemen 2015 Report; Human Rights Watch, Yemen: Houthi Artillery Kills Dozens in Aden, https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/07/29/yemen-houthi-artillery-kills-dozens-aden. 129 Confidential Sources on File. See also Amnesty International, Nowhere safe for civilians, 2015, https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/MDE3122912015ENGLISH.pdf. 130 Confidential Sources on File. 131 Confidential Sources on File. 132 Confidential Sources on File. 133 Confidential Sources on File. 125 33