UN Chief: Saudi Coalition Attacks Killed Children in Yemen

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Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says in a draft report that the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for more than half the children killed and injured in Yemen's civil war last year.

The report, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, said the United Nations verified 1,340 casualties and attributed 683 — representing 51 percent — to attacks carried out by the coalition.

It said nearly three-quarters of attacks on schools and hospitals — 38 of 52 — were also carried out by the coalition.

The draft report on children and armed conflict echoes similar findings from last year when the U.S.-backed coalition was put on a U.N. blacklist for violating child rights.

It was removed by then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after Saudi Arabia and other coalition supporters threatened to stop funding many U.N. programs. But Ban said he stood by the report, which said the U.N. verified a total of 1,953 youngsters killed and injured in Yemen in 2015 — a six-fold increase compared with 2014.

Foreign Policy magazine reported Wednesday that Virigina Gamba, the new U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict, intends to recommend that the Saudi-led coalition be added to the list of countries that kill and maim children.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters Thursday that Guterres hasn't seen the draft report that was leaked. He said its contents are still under discussion and the decision of who will be on the blacklist is up to him.

Haq said Guterres is scheduled to meet Gamba on Friday but the report isn't expected to be completed for another month.

Saudi Arabia's U.N. Mission said in a statement that the coalition maintains its position "that there is no justification whatsoever for including its name in the annex of the secretary-general's report on children and armed conflict."

"We trust that the United Nations will make the appropriate decision on this matter," taking into consideration an ongoing review with the U.N. and "the positive exchange of information" on the coalition's activities, the statement said.

Yemen, which is on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been engulfed in civil war since September 2014, when Houthi Shiite rebels swept into Sanaa and overthrew President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally recognized government.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition began a campaign against Houthi forces allied with ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh in support of Hadi's government. Since then, the Iranian-backed Houthis have been dislodged from most of the south, but remain in control of Sanaa and much of the north.

Comments 14
Thumb galaxy 18 August 2017, 09:11

In the 2006 divine loss, we all saw live on TV how the iranian militia was firing rockets at Israeli cities from in between houses and from densely populated civilian areas. When the appropriate response came; they cried "war crimes".

In Yemen, their brethren are no different. They use civilians as human shields, they use schools and hospitals as launching pads for their terror activities.

No Sympathy here.

Thumb janoubi 18 August 2017, 09:28

I can tell you from first hand knowledge, hezbollah was deliberately positioning its armed units near schools and hospitals in the 2006 war against Israel. They placed their rocket launchers outside homes and schools.

The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations at that time played a video to the assembly taken by one of their drones showing an infrared recording of a hezbollah rocket launcher mounted on a jeep firing rockets at Israel. The video also showed the very same jeep going up in flames moments later upon being hit by an Israeli missile.

The Huthis in Yemen are being trained by Hezbollah using the same tactics.

Thumb EagleDawn 18 August 2017, 10:05

Commenting on the massacres of women and children in Syria:

"gigahabib:
Will someone please think of the "beautiful babies"?"

"gigahabib:
The beautiful babies."

Thumb EagleDawn 18 August 2017, 10:06

Commenting on the credibility of the United Nations when it talks about the syrian regime crimes in Syria:

"flamethrower........
the UN itself should be dissolved and its assets liquidated and given back to the countries who were scammed into this money hole in the first place."

"flamethrower.......
nothing the UN and its 'humanitarian' mouthpieces says is credible."

Thumb ashtah 18 August 2017, 11:13

but in this case the troll would say the UN is the best organization he's ever seen.

Thumb barrymore 18 August 2017, 11:20

"the United Nations verified 1,340 casualties and attributed 683 — representing 51 percent — to attacks carried out by the coalition."

and the huthis killed the other 657 children! So, what is the point of the article?

Thumb justin 18 August 2017, 11:26

The point the Associated Press Mainstream media trying to make is the coalition is bad because they killed 26 more children in Yemen than the Houthis did.

Thumb ___flamethrower___ 18 August 2017, 13:16

lulz and lol @flame.bin.laden

Thumb justin 18 August 2017, 13:21

@hajibaba flamethrower, if I recall correctly which I do it was you the 'Christian' who was accusing the rebels in Syria of taking children as human shields in hospitals in order to justify the massacres of your Iranian militia.

Thumb the_roar 18 August 2017, 14:13

accusing others in order to justify yourself is the lowest form of debating.

Wasn't it you & all those above who used to rush to point out how HORRIBLE-EVIL-INHUMANE etc etc, when any media outlet reported civilian causalities in Syria was caused by the syrian regime?

Fine, you can do that & much more, but when the same commentators have refused to be consistent & write the same outrage against the Saudi's

Then there is an obvious inconsistency & bias which smells very much of a paid agenda & no true humane outrage as you would have the readers believe.
Since you have remained silent on the reported atrocities by the Saudi's, then maybe you should also keep your mouth shut when its reported by others.

Thumb warrior 19 August 2017, 05:39

it is funny when the most notorious troll speaks of a paid agenda.

Thumb janoubi 19 August 2017, 14:20

the_roar, the most despicable filthy troll on the forum is lecturing about debating etiquette.

Thumb doodle-dude 18 August 2017, 15:06

Here comes the wealthy shia Australian who travels the globe & has inside knowledge that no other person on this planet knows about offering his 2 iranian riyals.

Thumb EagleDawn 18 August 2017, 18:27

"the_roar:
I could care less about Assad's track record with human rights abuse etc."

"the_roar:
the whole world knows that Syria is the leader of democracy in the ME. "