UN Must Probe into Saudi Bombing of Civilian Targets in Yemen

Rasa - Now that a new report by the United Nations has confirmed in considerable detail misdeeds by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, killing thousands of civilians in Yemen, raping and torturing detainees, and using child soldiers, the world body should do the next best thing: Probe.

News ID: 439348

Date: 01 September 2018 - 23:18

RNA - After all, Saudi Arabia is still relentlessly bombing civilian targets in strife-torn Yemen and threatening executions of human rights activists at home. The regime is also gaining notoriety as a political outcast at the United Nations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has not only condemned the continued attacks on civilians but also called for “an impartial, independent and prompt investigation” into some of the recent bombings in Yemen.

The bombing of civilians is more than enough to haul the Saudis and their coalition partners before the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The situation is so bad and the nature of the war so criminal and indefensible that even some members of the US Congress have called on the American military to clarify its role in airstrikes on Yemen “and investigate whether the support for those strikes could expose American military personnel to legal jeopardy, including for war crimes.”

Guterres has described Yemen as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis”, with three in four Yemenis in need of assistance. So far, the UN and its partners have reached out to more than 8 million people with direct assistance this year. But this is not enough. The UN should force the Saudis to end their bombings and lift the illegal blockade. By its own account, the death toll alone amounts to over 17,000 people, mostly civilians, since 2014.

But any drastic action against the coalition - or even an independent UN investigation - is most likely to be thwarted by Western powers, including three permanent members of the Security Council, namely the US, UK and France, which are key suppliers to the thriving multi-billion-dollar arms market in Saudi Arabia. This has to stop too. The sad fact is that these countries are complicit in Saudi war crimes and therefore should never be allowed to derail a new UN probe.

The US government officials, along with their Western allies, have a duty under International Law and International Humanitarian Law to ban the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, because these weapons cause innumerable civilian deaths in Yemen. The UN and numerous human rights agencies say this isn’t conjecture, it’s a documented fact.

Amnesty International has further documented and Western media reports have indicated that a bomb that killed dozens of children this month in a market in Yemen was made in the US. Sadly, instead of communicating to Saudi authorities that the killing of children is abhorrent, the US government is doing the inconceivable:

Despite attempts by some American officials to distance Washington from the Saudi-led carnage against the people of Yemen, new documents have revealed that the Pentagon regime plans to resume training programs for Saudi pilots. The US Air Force has put out request for information (RFI) forms, calling on contractors to come forward with pricing and availability details for training Saudi Air Force personnel. A submission deadline of September 24 for the RFIs shows that the program is slated to begin soon.

It means what it means. President Donald Trump, who has been very supportive of the Saudis after inking a hefty $110-billion arms deal with the oil-rich kingdom last year, is unwilling to allow any reduction of support for the Riyadh regime. It’s all the reason why the international civil society should step in.

The UN and its partners are expected to do all they can to stop this murderous business between the US and Saudi Arabia. Access for humanitarian aid workers to reach people in need is critical to respond to the massive humanitarian crisis in Yemen. People need to be able to voluntarily flee the fighting to access humanitarian assistance. Because of the blockade this is yet to be the case.

According to Fars News Agancy, Saudi Arabia, the United States and other parties to this dirty conflict must respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and those with influence over them at the UN must ensure that everything possible is done to protect civilians. That’s the least they could do.

The UN should stop the US from providing the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen with diplomatic protection at the UN for mid-air refuelling, intelligence assessments and other military advice. The world body knows fully well that without Washington’s much-needed military and diplomatic assistance the Saudis cannot continue their murderous charge against the poorest country in the Arab world even for a day.

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