United Nations Condemns “Horrific” Attack in Yemen That Killed More Than 100
Credit: Wikipedia Commons Public Domain / Yemeni capital Sanaa after airstrikes, 9 October 2015 “This neighborhood, where more than 100 buildings have been damaged, has brought attention to the plight of Yemeni blacks, with neighboring communities coming to witness the damage. (Almigdad Mojalli/VOA)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations has condemned the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes conducted Sunday in Yemen on a detention center that killed more than 100 people. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC) , which rushed to the scene with medical teams and body bags, every detainee in the building was killed or injured when the building was leveled.
“This is a horrific incident. The scale of the casualties is staggering. We send our deepest condolences to families that are today grieving for their loved ones.”
-Lise Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen.
Yemen Bloody Conflict Must Stop: UN Envoy
Credit: osesgy.unmissions.org / The Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths.
“Today’s event is a tragedy. The human cost of this war is unbearable. We need it to stop. Yemenis deserve a peaceful future. Today’s tragedy reminds us that Yemen cannot wait. I hope the Coalition will launch an inquiry into this incident. Accountability needs to prevail.”
-Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen.
On Sunday, air strikes hit a former community college compound on the northern outskirts of Dhamar City. According to sources on the ground, as many as 170 prisoners were being held in a detention facility within the compound. Initial reports from health officials indicate that at least 60 people have been killed and 50 injured. The Yemen UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has confirmed that 52 detainees are among the dead. At least 68 detainees are still missing. Casualties are most likely to increase as rescue efforts are still ongoing.
Yemen Is the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis
Credit: Wikipedia Commons Public Domain / “On the day after a July airstrike in Sana’a, Yemen, families mourn their lost relatives but say there is no way they have the resources to rebuild their homes, July 13, 2015. (Almigdad Mojalli/VOA)”
Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with nearly 80 per cent of the total population, some 24.1 million people, requiring some form of humanitarian assistance and protection, according to the UN.
The 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) requires US$4.2 billion to assist more than 20 million Yemenis including 10 million people who rely entirely on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs every month. As of today, the YHRP is 34 percent funded.
OCHA/Giles Clark / Cratar neighbourhood in Aden, Yemen. (18 November 2018)
As Yemen relief operations face funding gap, timing of surge in violence ‘couldn’t be worse’. According to Lisa Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, the situation in the Arabian peninsula nation remains “very fragile” as deadly bombings continue.
“We’ve already been forced to close vaccination and health programmes and scale-back on protection services for the victims of sexual and gender-based violence”, she detailed. “If donors don’t honour the promises they’ve made, 22 major programmes will close in coming weeks”.
European Union Calls For Need To Respect Human Rights Law To Protect Civilians
“This attack, which takes place amidst a new and alarming escalation of fighting across the country, fuels regional tensions and further endangers the prospects of bringing the suffering of millions of Yemenis to an end. The EU reiterates the need to fully respect international humanitarian and human rights law, in particular with regard to the protection of civilians, and expects all parties to the conflict to engage constructively with the UN Special Envoy on the full implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, including the prisoners’ exchange and the understanding on Taiz. The EU reaffirms its full support to the UN-led process towards a negotiated political solution to the conflict.”
Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Maja Kocijanic
