Saudi raids on Yemen against international law: UN coordinator
Saudi Arabia’s continued airstrikes on Yemen are against international laws, a UN statement says.
“The indiscriminate bombing of populated areas, with or without prior warning, is in contravention of international humanitarian law (IHL),” a statement by UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Johannes van der Klaauw, said on Saturday.
The issue of warnings for raids does not “absolve” the Saudis of their IHL obligations to not harm civilians, he noted.
“I call upon all parties to the conflict to observe their duty to protect civilians,” the UN coordinator added.
"Many civilians are effectively trapped in Sa'ada as they are unable to access transport because of the fuel shortage. The targeting of an entire governorate will put countless civilians at risk," added Van der Klaauw.
On the early hours of Sunday, Saudi artillery shelled targets in the Mahallah region in western Hajjah province.
Residential areas near the border with Saudi Arabia in the Sa’ada province also came under Saudi mortar fire.
Earlier on Saturday, Saudi warplanes bombed the ancient mosque of Imam al-Hadi in Sa’ada and areas of Qamar and Saqayn in the northwestern province of Sa’ada.
According to Yemen’s al-Masirah TV, four civilians were killed and over 10 others injured during the attacks.
Saudi rockets also struck two areas of Qamar and Saqayn in the same province.
Saudi Arabia started its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 -- without a UN mandate -- in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and to restore power to the fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.
According to the latest UN figures, the Saudi military campaign has so far claimed the lives of over 1,400 people and injured close to 6,000 people, roughly half of whom have been civilians.
SRK/NT/AS
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