By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
United Nations experts have pointed to possible war crimes by parties to the ongoing armed conflict in Yemen. The UN is warning the Saudi-led assault is contributing to the death of a young child every 10 minutes in Yemen, a country at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. In 2015, Saudi Arabia initiated a bombing campaign against its southern neighbor Yemen in what was essentially a proxy war — the Saudis backed a government that had been forced out of the capital by the Houthis, a group allied with Iran. The war in Yemen continues — in part with bombs the Saudi-led coalition of countries bought from the U.S. In its recent report, a team of UN-mandated investigators said all parties in Yemen’s deadly conflict have committed a “substantial number of violations of international law.” The report was mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council to carry out a comprehensive examination of the human rights situation in the country covering the period September 2014 to June 2018. Among their conclusion, the experts say individuals in the Government of Yemen and the coalition, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and in the de facto authorities have committed acts that may, subject to determination by an independent and competent court, amount to war crimes. The 41-page report, based on visits to many parts of Yemen, said coalition airstrikes had caused most of the documented civilian casualties.
“The air strikes have hit residential areas, markets, funerals, weddings, detention facilities, civilian boats and even medical facilities.”
-United Nations Report
6,660 Civilians Killed, 10,563 Injured Between March 2015-August 2018
According to the UN Human Rights Office, since March 2015 up to 23 August 2018, 6,660 civilians were killed and 10,563 injured; however, the real figures are likely to be significantly higher, said the UNHRO.
“There is little evidence of any attempt by parties to the conflict to minimise civilian casualties. I call on them to prioritise human dignity in this forgotten conflict.”
Kamel Jendoubi, chairperson of the Group of International and Regional Eminent Experts on Yemen.
US supplied bomb that killed 40 children on Yemen school bus: UK Guardian.
The bomb dropped on a school bus in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition warplane was sold to Riyadh by the US, according to reports based on analysis of the debris, UK Guardian. The 9 August attack killed 40 boys aged from six to 11 who were being taken on a school trip. Eleven adults also died. Local authorities said that 79 people were wounded, 56 of them children. CNN reported that the weapon used was a 227kg laser-guided bomb made by Lockheed Martin, one of many thousands sold to Saudi Arabia as part of billions of dollars of weapons exports.
Saudi Arabia Sharply Disputes UN Report Of Possible War Crimes
“We affirm the inaccuracies in the report and its non-neutrality. The report did not mention Iran’s role in the continuation of the war, and its continued support for the Huthi militias.” –Saudi Press Agency.
