UN Lists Saudi-led Coalition as Violators of Children's Rights

The United Nations on Thursday reported that the Saudi-led coalition has been placed on the list of governments and armed groups that violate children's rights during military conflicts due to the war in Yemen and the killing of children. According to Reuters, Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, stated in his report that the Saudi-led coalition is responsible for the killing and injuring of 60% of children in Yemen last year. The report indicates that last year, 510 children were killed and 667 were injured in attacks by the Saudi-led coalition. The UN Secretary-General's report specifies that half of the targets hit by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen were schools and hospitals. The coalition has been conducting operations in Yemen since April of last year to counter the advance of Houthi militants and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Ban Ki-moon noted in his report: 'With the escalation of conflicts, children's rights have been widely violated.' According to Reuters, Houthi militants, government forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, and their supporting militias were previously placed on the UN blacklist for ongoing violations of children's rights in recent years in Yemen. The report adds that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is also on the UN blacklist. Reuters states that the Saudi mission to the United Nations was not available to respond to this report. The UN report specifies that groups on the blacklist recruit children as soldiers, sexually abuse and exploit children, cause deaths and disabilities among children in their attacks, target hospitals and schools, and take children hostage. In this context, the UN Secretary-General is trying to 'accelerate' the negotiations for Yemen, where more than 40 Yemeni police officers were killed in a suicide bombing, and peace talks are entering a new phase amidst ongoing clashes between Hadi's forces and Al-Qaeda.