The coalition reviews its raids in Al-Jawf and calls on the United Nations to conduct a transparent investigation into the deaths of civilians
English - Saturday 08 August 2020 الساعة 07:37 pm
Aden, Newsyemen:
The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced that its operations (raids) carried out in the Yemeni province of Al-Jawf are being reviewed in light of allegations of collateral damage resulting from them.
Al-Sharaf Al-Awsat newspaper quoted the spokesman for the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, as saying, "The coalition considers the claim of collateral damage in Al-Jawf governorate seriously and in accordance with international humanitarian law."
Al-Maliki added, "The operations carried out are being reviewed."
And local and health sources in Al-Jawf reported that 9 civilians, most of them children, were killed and 12 others were wounded in a coalition raid that targeted the Al-Maatara area in Al-Jawf on Thursday.
While the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen stated, according to initial reports, that "strikes killed 9 children and injured 7 children and two women in Al-Jawf governorate on August 6."
And the Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, said in a statement that "this is horrific and totally unacceptable."
"The primary responsibility of any party to the conflict is to do everything possible to protect civilians and ensure they get the help they need to survive," Grande said, stressing that "this is a fundamental requirement under international humanitarian law."
In turn, the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, condemned the fall of civilians in a raid in Al-Jawf.
He said, "Another sad day in Yemen, where civilians continue to bear the brunt of the continuing conflict."
He continued, "I condemn the air strike that targeted Al-Jawf Governorate and claimed the lives of several civilians, including many children," stressing that "there is an urgent need for a transparent investigation."
He added, "I remind all those involved in the conflict that international law imposes on them an obligation to protect civilians and civilian facilities."
The international envoy indicated that he continues to support the parties to the conflict in Yemen to reach an agreement on a ceasefire that includes all parts of Yemen.
"The Yemenis deserve a better life than an endless war," he concluded.
