Call for Increased Pressure on Saudi Arabia Regarding Coalition Attacks in Yemen

The British newspaper The Guardian reported on Friday, September 16, evidence of human rights violations in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and increasing pressure on the U.S. and the U.K. to examine the role of these attacks in Yemen's unrest. The report states that about one-third of the coalition's airstrikes target hospitals, schools, mosques, shopping centers, and economic infrastructure, hitting civilians. This report comes as Saudi Arabia claimed it is trying to minimize civilian casualties in Yemen. According to The Guardian, several academics and human rights activists in a survey about Yemen conducted by the Yemen Information Project accused the Saudi-led coalition of 'violating humanitarian laws' in Yemen and called for increased pressure on Riyadh from the U.S. and the U.K. The report mentions that the Saudi-led coalition conducted over 8,600 airstrikes in Yemen over an 18-month period (from March 2015 to the end of August 2016), with more than 3,100 strikes targeting civilian areas, and for about 1,900 strikes, it is unclear whether the targets were military or civilian. However, Saudi Arabia has rejected this report, calling the figures 'greatly exaggerated.' Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, explained during a recent visit to London that some buildings that are bombed may have previously been schools, hospitals, or mosques but are now used as weapons depots or command and control centers for the rebels. Two days before the publication of this report, members of two committees in the British Parliament also called for a suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia until the allegations against Riyadh regarding violations of international law in Yemen are investigated. Last month, 64 members of the U.S. Congress from both the Democratic and Republican parties sent a letter to President Barack Obama requesting a delay in arms transactions with Saudi Arabia until the details of Riyadh's attacks in Yemen are examined. Ted Lieu, a Democratic congressman, described the coalition's attacks on civilian areas in Yemen as 'illegal' and a case of 'war crimes.' The coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia has been conducting military operations against the rebels in Yemen since April 2015 when the Houthis and their allies seized a large part of Yemen's territory. The Shiite Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, overthrew Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in January 2015. Mr. Hadi enjoys significant support from major Arab countries in the region, and his government is recognized by the United Nations and the international community as the legitimate government of Yemen. In recent months, forces loyal to the Yemeni government have managed to push back the Houthi rebels from five areas in the south of the country, including the port city of Aden, with the help of airstrikes from the coalition of Arab countries. However, many areas of Yemen, including the capital Sana'a, remain under the control of the rebels. Peace talks in Yemen, initiated by the United Nations, ended two months ago without any agreement, and it is unclear when they will resume. The United Nations announced on September 1 that over ten thousand people have been killed in the 18 months of conflict in Yemen, with about four thousand of them being civilians. Human rights organizations also accuse the Houthi rebels of human rights violations through the 'use of landmines and indiscriminate bombings.' Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also called for an investigation into the human rights situation and the conditions of civilians in Yemen during his speech at the opening of the 33rd session of the Human Rights Council on September 23.