The United Nations (UN) condemned on Tuesday the recent air strikes carried out by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia against Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, which left at least five civilians dead, including two women and a child.
READ ALSO:
UN urges dialogue to resolve armed conflict in Yemen
This bombing occurred in retaliation for the missile and drone attacks carried out by the Houthis against the Abu Dhabi international airport and a nearby industrial zone, which left three civilians dead, the global entity detailed in a statement.
The document issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights details that the conflict in that African nation has intensified so far in 2021, since until this Monday there have been 839 air attacks by the coalition led by the Saudis, compared to 1,074 for the entire month of December 2021.
Several of these offensive actions in recent days, in the order of dozens of air and artillery attacks, have been launched by the parties involved in the armed conflict without taking into account the lives of innocent people.
To which is added the constant threat posed by landmines in the face of constant changes and expansion of the front lines; and damage to civilian targets and critical infrastructure, such as telecommunications towers, water reservoirs, and hospitals in Sana’a and Taizz.
From the UN they urged the parties involved in the Yemeni conflict to establish protection guarantees for civilians and goods of this type, in accordance with the provisions of international law in situations of armed conflict, while calling for a peaceful solution. to the conflict.
WFP needs $1.97 billion to prevent food security from deteriorating still further in Yemen in 2022.
Since the beginning of this month, already 8 million Yemenis have begun receiving reduced assistance due to funding shortages. https://t.co/zbZoOvCTja
— World Food Program (@WFP)
January 17, 2022
“In particular, the parties to the conflict must take all feasible measures to verify that the targets are indeed military targets and call off an attack if it becomes clear that the target is not a military target or that the attack would be disproportionate. Failure to comply with the principles of distinction and proportionality could constitute a war crime,” the UN said in a statement.
For its part, the World Food Program (WFP) warned of the extreme crisis situation in the African country, where some 16.2 million people, more than half of the population, face acute hunger.
The WFP adds that half of the children under five years of age, some 2.3 million, are at risk of malnutrition; added to the need for that entity of some 1,970 million dollars to cover food assistance for families on the brink of famine.
In this regard, the WFP regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Corinne Fleischer, stated that “every time we reduce the amount of food, we know that more people who are already hungry and suffer from food insecurity will join the ranks of the millions dying of hunger.
“But desperate times call for desperate measures and we have to stretch our limited resources and prioritize, focusing on the people who are in the most critical condition.”