April 24, 2018 —  News of yet another bombing in Yemen, this time of a wedding which killed the bride and at least twenty others - mostly women and children, further demonstrates the wanton disregard for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) which prohibits attacks on civilian populations. In September 2015, a similar attack killed 131 people.

Ciaran Donnelly, Senior Vice President of International Programs at the International Rescue Committee, said:

“This is not the first time that civilians at a wedding party have been killed by coalition airstrikes, it is despicable, and points to either gross negligence or, a deliberate strategy to commit war crimes. Only the Saudi-led coalition (SLC) has an air force, and there can be no justification for a strike on such an obvious civilian celebration.

It is high time that the international community hold the SLC and its backers, especially the United States and the United Kingdom to account. The US, UK and France, which sell weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and provide the SLC with intelligence and logistical support to conduct the bombings, must immediately halt weapons sales and work to end the war.

As both an ally of the Saudis and the member state responsible for Yemen in the United Nations Security Council, the United Kingdom holds a privileged position in efforts to resolve the war in Yemen. Yet after three years of increasingly barbaric war, the UK has failed to maximize its role. In April 2015 the UN passed its only resolution on Yemen since the war began. Three years on it is outdated and acts as an obstacle not an enabler to peace. The UK must publicly support a full investigation of violations of IHL and lead UN efforts in support of the new UN Special Envoy, to adopt a new resolution that explicitly demands an immediate cessation of hostilities.

The only way to ease the massive humanitarian suffering in Yemen is to end this conflict. But, attacks against civilians are a blow to the efforts of the new Special Envoy and undermine hopes for peace.  We call on the UN Panel of Experts, tasked with investigating human rights violations and abuses in Yemen, to ensure justice for the victims and accountability for the perpetrators.”

ENDS