34 Backpacks – An Ongoing Commemoration of Yemeni Children Killed on August 9

Felton Davis, who coordinates a weekly vigil in NYC calling for an end to the U.S. war against Yemen, sent us a letter written by Yemen’s Minister of Education which names the students and teachers who were killed when a Saudi warplane fired a 500 lb. bomb, made in the US, at their school bus. We feel relieved to know that ten children whom we believed had died are actually alive. The number of children killed was 34, not 44. Four of their teachers were killed along with 12 passers-by. 78 people were wounded, including 55 students. Our hearts also go out to the first responders, EMT workers and hospital staff whose courageous efforts to save and heal people also involved trying to determine the number of dead.

We encourage people to continue commemorating those who died in the April 9, 2018 attack. In Chicago, Voices and other peace groups gathered in the Federal Building Plaza where we set up blue backpacks to commemorate each child who had been killed. (UNICEF had issued blue backpacks to the children before they went on their outing).

Please let us know if you would like to set up a similar vigil in your area. We can equip people with placards describing the attack and naming each victim; we can also supply photos, sample fliers, press releases and information about setting up backpacks. Contact Voices at 773-878-3815 or write info@vcnv.org.

You can also find more information, with photos and videos, at hashtag #44backpacks.

Here are the names of those killed and injured in the August 9 attack:

  • Mohammad Yahya Yahya Faya, killed
    11 years old
  • Zakaria Abdel Wahab Ali Faya, killed
    10 years old
  • Ali Mohammed Hassan Da’i, killed
    10 years old
  • Yousef Hussein Hussein Tayeb, killed
    15 years old
  • Ahmed Zaid Hussein Tayeb, killed
    12 years old
  • Ali Zaid Hussein Tayeb, killed
    9 years old
  • Osama Zeid Ali Al-Hamran, killed
    13 years old
  • Ali Zaid Ali Al-Hamran, killed
    15 years old
  • Ali Abdul Rahim Ali Hashem, killed
    9 years old
  • Akab Mohamed Hassan al-Abbadi, killed
    12 years old
  • Turki Mohamed Hassan Abadi, killed
    10 years old
  • Yousef Abdul Aziz Al-Dahdawi, killed
    13 years old
  • Younis Abdul Aziz Al-Dahdawi, killed
    11 years old
  • Yousef Abdullah Saleh Al-Hatafi, killed
    10 years old
  • Abdullah Hussein Faisal Hajj, killed
    12 years old
  • Hamid Mohammed Ayda Hadi, killed
    10 years old
  • Yousef Hassan Mohammed Al-Dhib, killed
    9 years old
  • Abdul Malik Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al-Dhib, killed
    12 years old
  • Amjad Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al-Deeb, killed
    10 years old
  • Mohamed Abdulsalam Abdullah Al-Dehayani, killed
    12 years old
  • Abd al-Ilah Abdullah Hussein al-Razahi, killed
    11 years old
  • Mohamed Abdel-Ilah Mohamed El-Hakim, killed
    9 years old
  • Mohammed Abdullah Yahya Velita, killed
    12 years old
  • Hassan Abdul Karim Ahmad Al Hadi, killed
    10 years old
  • Ahmed Abdel Hakim Ali Amer, killed
    11 years old
  • Mohamed Abdel Salam Hassan Houria, killed
    9 years old
  • Yahia Mahdi Ezz El Din Houria, killed
    12 years old
  • Hussein Mohammed Ahsan al-Ajri, killed
    15 years old
  • Abdullah Abdulsalam Abdullah Taraf, killed
    12 years old
  • Mohammad Yahya Mohammed Al-Ezzi, killed
    8 years old
  • Yahya Mohammed Hussein Al-Arjari, killed
    12 years old
  • Yousef Saleh Abdullah Al-Aqili, killed
    10 years old
  • Mohammed Saeed Ali Salman, killed
    13 years old
  • Waleed Abdullah Ali Ali Al-Khulani, killed
    13 years old
  • Mohammed Abdul Hafeez Abdullah Steen, killed
    28 years
  • Yahia Hussein Yahya Al-Bishri, killed
    42 years old
  • Ali Hussein Hassan Al-Ajri, killed
    27 years old
  • Ali Salah Zaid Faya, killed
    48 years old
  • Abdul-Malik Abdullah Al-Da’i, wounded
    9 years old
  • Hassan Hussein Qasim Al-Shawi, wounded
    10 years old
  • Hussein Yahya Yahya Al-Shawi, wounded
    12 years old
  • Hussein Qasim Hussein Al-Shawi, wounded
    11 years old
  • Ibrahim Mohammed Hamid Al-Shahari, wounded
    10 years old
  • Taha Hassan Abdullah al-Shahari, wounded
    9 years old
  • Saber Massoud Mesfer Jaber, wounded
    12 years old
  • Hafez Abdullah Ali Al-Mahah, wounded
    9 years old
  • Mohammed Khaled Qassem Al-Saadi, wounded
    12 years old
  • Mohamed Ghaleb Ali Ghalebi, wounded
    16 years old
  • Ahmed Mohamed Ali Swaid, wounded
    16 years old
  • Hassan Mohamed Ali Hassan, wounded
    12 years old
  • Faisal Mohammed Abdullah, wounded
    12 years old
  • Mohammed Salem Salman, wounded
    12 years old
  • Yahya Mohammed Ali Hanash, wounded
    10 years old
  • Hassan Mohammed Ali Hanash, wounded
    11 years old
  • Ahmed Abdel Rahman Mohsen Adlan, wounded
    13 years old
  • Yahia Ali Mohammed Magali, wounded
    10 years old
  • Hassan Abdul Rahman Ahmad Al-Ajri, wounded
    11 years old
  • Hussein Ahmed Abdul Salam Al-Ajri, wounded
    10 years old
  • Yahia Abdul Majeed Hussein Al-Ajri, wounded
    10 years old
  • Younis Saleh Abdullah Al-Aqili, wounded
    7 years old
  • Badr al-Din Hussein Yahya al-Katabari, wounded
    10 years old
  • Izz al-Din Saleh Muhammad Abdullah, wounded
    12 years old
  • Ahmed Abdel Rahman Mohsen Adlan, wounded
    13 years old
  • Qassem Mohammed Abdullah Hashem Al Sharafi, wounded
    7 years old
  • Mustafa Ghaleb Faisal Al-Wadai, wounded
    12 years old
  • Mohamed Abdel-Rahim Ibrahim El-Shazly, wounded
    13 years old
  • Mohamed Mutahar Ibrahim El Hadi, wounded
    10 years old
  • Abdulrahman Mutahar Ibrahim El Hadi, wounded
    12 years old
  • Hassan Ali Ahmad Al-Qasimi, wounded
    13 years old
  • Abdel Rahman Tarash Ahmed Salam, wounded
    12 years old
  • Ibrahim Tarash Ahmed Salam, wounded
    14 years old
  • Ali Taha Ahmed Qassim Sharif, wounded
    8 years old
  • Kamal Abdullah Mohammed Al-Sharafi, wounded
    13 years old
  • Rafak Ali Salman Suleiman, wounded
    13 years old
  • Abdul Hakim Ayza Yahya Al-Maas, wounded
    12 years old
  • Taha Taleb Al-Sha’outi, wounded
    16 years old
  • Yahia Hassan Daifallah Al Farah, wounded
    10 years old
  • Sergeant Ali Noman, wounded
    8 years old
  • Mokhtar Hadi Ahmed, wounded
    6 years old
  • Hamad Jafar Thabet Al-Samaei, wounded
    14 years old
  • Ibrahim Fares Ahmed, wounded
    14 years old
  • Abdulrahman Faris Ahmed, wounded
    17 years old
  • Abdel Rahman Hussein Ahmed, wounded
    17 years old
  • Moaz Qassem Hassan, wounded
    17 years old
  • Ahmed Mesfreli Malloh, wounded
    17 years old
  • Younis Ali Ahmed Al-Katabari, wounded
    13 years old
  • Mu’tasim Faisal Mohammed Abdullah, wounded
    16 years old
  • Majed Hussein Abdul Rahman Al-Amir, wounded
    18 years old
  • Ramzi Saleh Ismail Abdullah, wounded
    17 years old
  • Abdel Rahman Ali Yousef Al-Hawouri, wounded
    17 years old
  • Ahmed Mohamed Ali Hanash, wounded
    14 years old
  • Hassan Mohammed Ali Hassan, wounded
    12 years old
  • Hussein Ali Mohammed Qasim Ada, wounded
    41 years old

Reprinted from Creative Voices for Nonviolence