Direct proof of use
The FN Minimi is documented in the 2014 Yemen Civil War through Amnesty International's 2019 open-source investigation into UAE arms diversion. Amnesty reported that Belgian Minimi light machine guns, likely sold to the United Arab Emirates, were being deployed by The Giants, a Yemeni militia backed by the UAE.
Amnesty's accompanying news release placed the Minimi evidence in the battle-for-Hodeidah context, stating that its analysis of open-source evidence around Hodeidah found UAE-supplied vehicles and weapons in use by militias on the ground. A follow-up Amnesty release described the Minimi as a Belgian machine gun wielded by a Yemeni militia in the Hodeidah offensive and said the same weapon type had been documented with The Giants.
Sources: When Arms Go Astray, Yemen UAE Windfall of Western Arms, UAE Arms Fair Minimi
Timeline
The Giants Brigades emerged from southern resistance forces that fought the Houthis in southern Yemen from 2015, and later became prominent on the western front. Middle East Institute analysis describes the force as supported and trained by the UAE and better known after Operation Golden Spear in Hodeidah and the drive toward Mocha.
On 6 February 2019, Amnesty published its investigation and news release describing Belgian Minimi light machine guns being deployed by The Giants. The following week, Amnesty highlighted that FN Herstal's Minimi was being promoted at IDEX 2019 in Abu Dhabi after Amnesty had documented the same weapon type with the UAE-backed Yemeni militia.
Sources: MEI Houthis Retaliation for Shabwa, When Arms Go Astray, Yemen UAE Windfall of Western Arms, UAE Arms Fair Minimi
Operational role
Within this conflict record, the supported role is militia squad automatic fire support in UAE-backed ground operations, not a specific named fire mission. The sources identify the user as The Giants or Giants Brigades and connect the weapon to UAE-backed coalition-aligned forces during the Hodeidah phase of the war.
The public evidence also separates transfer and use. Amnesty described the Minimis as Belgian-made and likely sold to the UAE, then deployed by The Giants. The cited sources do not identify an individual Minimi serial number, a named fighter, or a dated engagement in which a particular weapon was fired.
Sources: When Arms Go Astray, Yemen UAE Windfall of Western Arms, UAE Arms Fair Minimi, MEI Houthis Retaliation for Shabwa
