UN human rights chief denounces Houthi movement for Yemen war crimes News
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UN human rights chief denounces Houthi movement for Yemen war crimes

The United Nations Human Rights Chief Friday denounced the Houthi movement for committing war crimes in Yemen.

According to UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, the UN Human Rights Office has verified three incidents of shelling in government-controlled areas that killed a boy and a man and wounded others. The office also verified three incidents of sniper shootings, attributing the attacks to Yemen’s Houthi movement.

Laurence condemned the murder of civilians, stating, “We are gravely concerned for the safety and security of civilians.” He also stressed the gravity of the attacks by declaring that, “the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international law and constitutes a war crime.”

During the same briefing, a UN spokesperson said there are efforts to restore the truce deal between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi group that expired a month ago.

Yemen’s civil war began in September 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sana’a. In early 2015, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia entered the war to restore the Yemeni government to power. Roads around Yemen’s third largest city have been blocked by Houthi forces since 2015.

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