Warplanes belonging to the U.S.-Saudi coalition carried out a series of airstrikes on a camp for displaced people in Yemen’s Hodeidah province on Monday. Out of the 14 fatalities, seven of which were children — some appear to be infants. The crime also killed three women and injured an additional nine civilians. Rescuers struggled to retrieve scattered bodies from the rubble for hours after the terror attack.
UNICEF called this crime “one of the deadliest attacks on children since the conflict in Yemen escalated in March 2015.” Saudi Arabia began their airstrike campaign against Yemen in March of 2015 with full military and intelligence support from the United States and several other countries. This means that not only does the U.S. provide bombs, but Washington also provides logistical support for selecting airstrike targets.
CLICK HERE to see photos of the aftermath of the Saudi airstrike (Warning: extremely graphic images)
A Week of Gruesome Attacks on Yemen
This week’s war crimes don’t stop there — not by a long shot.
On Tuesday, warplanes targeted another home in Saada province with airstrikes. (The coalition frequently targets civilian homes in this area on a near daily basis.) This terror attack killed two women and four other civilians. According to the family’s relatives, one of the women was pregnant.
Also on Tuesday, Yemeni women filled the city of Dhamar to protest another particularly heinous attack on a woman. Days ago, a Sudanese soldier belonging to the Saudi coalition brutally raped and beat a Yemeni woman in Hodeidah province. Soldiers belonging to the United Arab Emirates then apprehended the woman and forced her to sign a paper denying the rape ever happened. This attack sparked national outrage and it’s worth pointing out that Sudanese troops have a history of using rape as a weapon of war.
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Although this next event cannot yet be contributed to the Saudi coalition, it is under investigation. Last week, a massive fire broke out at a World Food Programme storage facility in Hodeidah province. The building contained large quantities of food, vital fuel, and other crucial supplies. Local authorities are currently investigating what may have caused the fire.
It wouldn’t be outrageous to assume the fire was a malicious attack by members of the Saudi-led coalition. Saudi Arabia has already bombed the vital Hodeidah port several times and even destroyed cranes for unloading aid ships. It’s clear that starvation and disease are absolutely intentional.
The United Nations acknowledges that using famine as a weapon is a war crime worthy of prosecution while the Saudi coalition utilizes the blockade and siege to beat Yemen into submission. Over 20 million Yemenis face either direct famine or food insecurity because Yemen imports nearly 80% of foodstuffs and the land, sea, and air blockade restricts imports, exports, and flow of movement. The United States helps enforce the blockade with warships stationed around the Red Sea.
Top Photo | A boy with fake blood on his face and clothes to represent a victim participates in a protest against Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016. (AP/Hani Mohammed)
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