On August 13, 2022, Houthi forces stormed the Faculties of Arts and Education of Dhamar University (DU) (also romanized as Thamar University) and allegedly assaulted university staff in an effort to seize control of the campus.
A Houthi-appointed official in the Dhamar governorate had reportedly ordered Houthi forces to take control of the two faculties’ buildings on grounds that they belonged to the [de-facto] government, not the university. When DU staff attempted to stop the Houthi forces from entering the campus, Houthi forces reportedly assaulted them. According to Al-Mashhad, the Houthi forces detained two university security personnel.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about armed forces raiding and seizing control of higher education facilities. Parties to a conflict have an obligation to refrain from encroaching on institutional autonomy and detaining noncombatants. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, such attacks undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.
Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/257648
https://almushahid.net/98891/
https://www.facebook.com/tueduye/posts/4622851144484361
https://www.facebook.com/tueduye/posts/4622679637834845
https://www.alarabiya.net/arab-and-world/yemen/2022/08/13/اليمن-ميليشيا-الحوثي-تقتحم-جامعة-ذمار-
https://yemenalghad.net/160011/
https://almawqeapost.net/news/76108