UN decries attacks on civilians in Yemen

SANAA

The UN has condemned recent airstrikes that killed dozens of civilians in the northern Yemeni province of Al-Jawf.

Houthi rebels said Saturday 31 people were killed and 12 others injured in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Al-Jawf.

The group said the attacks targeted civilians checking the wreckage of a Tornado fighter jet downed by Houthis a day earlier in the province.

"So many people are being killed in Yemen — it's a tragedy and it's unjustified," UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, said in a statement.

"Five years into this conflict and belligerents are still failing to uphold this responsibility," she said. "It's shocking."

"Under international humanitarian law parties which resort to force are obligated to protect civilians," the UN official said.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including numerous civilians, believed to have been killed in the conflict since then, while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.