A confidential report from the UN shows that Houthi fighters in Yemen used civilians as human shields. The Arab coalition in the country also bombed a civilian house intentionally and killed four children as a result.
Ali Abdullah Saleh’s removal as president has caused chaos in the country that has waged on for over four years. The former president’s forces are fighting alongside the Houthi in Yemen. The forces have been resilient in their fight and have made their way through the country’s capital of Sanaa. The forces have since pushed south.
Yemen’s current president, Abd-Rabbu Masnsour Hadi, was forced to flee the country and go into exile in March as a result of the fighting.
Al Jazeera reported, “This was a confidential report that was prepared by experts on Yemen for consideration by the Security Council.”
The report covers a period of six months and finds that all parties that are fighting in the country have been in violation of international humanitarian laws. The report stated that the forces of the government of Yemen, the Arab coalition and the Houthi-Saleh have all committed violations of international law.
Detailed investigations of four air strikes carried out by the Arab coalition are ongoing. One case has been detailed and finds that four children and two adults were killed by the coalition as they bombed a village house in the Lahij province. The report stated, “It is almost certain that the civilian house was a deliberate target of the high explosive aircraft bombs.”
The coalition failed to take proper precautions before their air strikes and violated International Humanitarian Law as a result.
The coalition is carried out by Saudi Arabia, and has acknowledged the report and their own “shortcomings” in 25% of their air strikes, or 2 out of 8 air strikes. The coalition began fighting in the country in March 2015 to help push back the Houthi fighters.
