SANAA, Yemen – More than six years after 18-year-old Munif left his home in Sanaa to fight with the Houthis on the front lines of Yemen's civil war, his family is still searching for answers about his fate.
Munif is one of hundreds of people who have disappeared since the war broke out in September 2014, when the Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for Supporters of God), captured the capital and forced the internationally-recognised government to flee south.
His brother, Mohammed, said ten other men from their village who joined the front line on the Saudi-Yemen border all returned. "We asked them about my brother's whereabouts, but none could tell us where he had gone," Mohammed said. "A definite answer about his status would be a relief for the entire family."
Hopes that a 2022 truce between the Saudi-backed government and Iran-aligned Houthis would help families begin their searches were short-lived. Since July this year, the ICRC has received more than 1,800 tracing requests from families looking for missing relatives, but the resumption of fighting has halted progress for many.
Mohammed believes there are two possible outcomes for his brother. "He might have been hit by an air strike, leaving no trace of his body, or perhaps he was captured, and he remains in captivity," he said. If Munif was killed in an explosion, finding an identifiable body part would bring some relief, but the family still hopes he is being held captive by government forces.
"We would have accepted his death, adjusted to the loss, and forgotten my brother's possible return. We just need to know what happened to him," Mohammed said. "We have heard about some fighters who were believed to be dead, and their families accepted the news of their deaths and mourned them. However, they emerged alive after years of captivity. So, Munif may still be alive."
The family spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.