Saudi Arabia made a major air strike against Yemeni civilian targets on Friday. The victims of Saudi airstrikes on a detention center and a telecommunication center may exceed 100.
Yesterday, a detention center for migrants in Yemeni capital was the target of Saudi airstrikes. Rescue workers are still evacuating people as Red Cross representative in the country confirmed. Over 100 persons were killed or injured, with a majority of 82% who lost their lives.
A day later, the Houthi movement and some aid organizations confirmed that that the number of deaths had risen to 82. The number may still rise according to local officials.
The United Nations Secretary-General has denounced the Saudi-led coalition’s air assaults on Saada city. Antonio Guterres urged a probe into the strikes the can amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In a separate report, Doctors Without Borders said that the number of injuries exceeds 200. The agency’s chief of mission in the country claimed there were several more corpses still at the site of the attack, many unidentified individuals.
A telecommunications center was also struck by a Saudi airstrikes on the same day in Hodeidah. Subsequent corroboration by satellite images by the Associated Press revealed the truth about the Saudi strategy. Yemen’s internet network relies heavily on the center and Riyadh meant to cut any reports about the Friday incidents. The internet connection was still out by Saturday afternoon.
Yemeni Health Minister has called for medical assistance from the global community. He blamed the Saudi-led coalition for attacking ordinary people on purpose. “We consider this a war crime against humanity. The world should take responsibility at this critical moment in human history,” Taha al-Motawakel asserted.
There has been no information about the number of victims and injuries at the telecommunication center in Hodeidah.
Saudi Airstrikes Target Civilians
The aggressive efforts by Saudi Arabia and its allies come after the Houthi movement claimed responsibility for a drone and missile strike on Abu Dhabi. This was a significant step forward in the fight in Yemen. Saudi Arabia, along with its allies including UAE, has been conducting air attacks since seven years ago.
In a joint statement, eight relief organizations working in Sanaa said they were “horrified” by the brutal killings in Saada. They asserted that the Saudi airstrikes targeted civilians including women and children. The Houthi movement and many other rights organizations in the country have condemned the Friday strikes.
“Migrants seeking better lives for themselves and their families, Yemeni civilians injured by the dozens, is a picture we never hoped to wake up to in Yemen,” said the director of one rights group in Yemen.
The Saudi airstrikes, according to UN ex-special envoy, follow a series of war crimes by the coalition during seven years. “There has been no accountability whatsoever since the start of this war. It’s a failure not only from the United States but the permanent members of the Security Council,” Jamal Benomar emphasized following the Friday brutalities.
The dark side of Saudi Airstrikes on Yemen root from two facts. First, the Saada strikes purposefully targeted the civilians. Second, Saudi Arabia attempted to censor the reality behind the crimes through striking telecommunication facility.
No group can question the fact that a detention center hosts civilians who are under bars for various reasons. Riyadh denied targeting the detention center, which is in line with cutting the internet. The reports about the heinous attack, nevertheless, fully clarify the underlying truth.
Feeling safe from any consequences by the UN or other high communities, Saudi Arabia keeps up with violence in Yemen.
