UN warns about rising civilian deaths in Saudi war on Yemen

The United Nations has warned about the “mounting” number of civilian casualties in Yemen as more than 270 civilians have lost their lives in the past four months alone in the war-torn country due to the relentless Saudi aggression against the impoverished country.

According to the latest figures announced on Friday by Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 272 civilians were killed and 543 others sustained injuries between April 11 and August 11. “Of these in just the past week, since August 5, 49 civilians were killed and another 77 injured.”

Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said in a statement that he was “deeply alarmed” by the humanitarian situation across the crisis-hit country as local media reports indicate that “children and women are being killed and maimed, homes being destroyed… by both ground fighting and air strikes” carried out by Saudi warplanes particularly in the capital Sana’a and the provinces of Sana’a, Ta’izz, and Hudaydah.

McGoldrick also called on all parties to the conflict, which has been raging for more than 16 months, to “abide by their obligations” under international humanitarian law, and to take all necessary actions to protect the Yemeni people and civilian infrastructure.

He also urged the international community to wield its influence on the parties to find a peaceful solution that would end the plights of the Yemeni people.

International concerns are rising over the upsurge in the conflict in Yemen after the UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait between the representatives of the former government and the Houthi Ansarullah movement failed to make a breakthrough and were suspended on August 6.

The Saudi aggression against Yemen began in March 2015 in a bid to reinstate Yemen’s resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, and undermine the Ansarullah movement.

About 10,000 people have been killed and at least 16,000 others injured since the onset of the aggression. The Saudi strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

The Saudi regime has defended the deadly airstrikes on markets, clinics and a wedding ceremony in Yemen, citing the alleged presence of armed forces at the sites.

Meanwhile, the United States has recently approved the sale of more than 130 Abrams tanks, 20 armored recovery vehicles and other equipment worth about $1.15 billion to Saudi Arabia, to further boost the Saudi war machine against the Arabian Peninsula country.