UN experts point to possible war crimes in Yemen conflict News
© WikiMedia (Mathieu Génon)
UN experts point to possible war crimes in Yemen conflict

A UN human rights panel report [text, DOC] released Tuesday suggests that parties to the armed conflict in Yemen have been perpetuating crimes under international law [press release].

The Group of International and Regional Eminent Experts on Yemen was appointed [resolution, PDF] by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the human rights situation in the country as well as to examine all alleged violations and crimes of international law to occur since September 2014.

The report concluded that air strikes led by the government of Yemen and its coalition, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have caused a majority of the civilian casualties. Other violations included persistent sexual violence and enlistment of young children into the armed forces.

The UN Human Rights Office [official website] has reported that as of August 2018, 6,660 civilians were killed and 10,563 injured. This number is expected to continue to rise significantly.

Kamel Jendoubi, chairperson of the expert panel stated, “There is little evidence of any attempt by parties to the conflict to minimize civilian casualties. I call on them to prioritize human dignity in this forgotten conflict.”

The report calls upon the government of Yemen to take responsibility in protecting its people by prosecuting these humanitarian crimes.

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