The Arab coalition working to restore legitimacy in Yemen has released a statement in response to the UN’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict, released Friday.
The coalition acknowledged that the UN report had added it to a list of bodies and states that had taken measures to improve the protection of children. The report also praised the coalition’s cooperation with the UN, according to the coalition’s statement.
The coalition expressed appreciation toward UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who expressed his wish to continue cooperating with the coalition in order to promote child protection. However, the coalition denied and condemned other claims made in the report.
The coalition stated that the release of such claims impacts the credibility of the UN report and condemned the misinformation that was delivered to the UN, which the coalition says deflects attention away from the crimes committed by the Houthis and those loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh. The coalition stressed its wish to abide by international laws and standards to protect civilians and keep them safe by ensuring precaution and vigilance.
The coalition ascertained that the unfortunate consequences of this conflict are a result of the actions of Houthis and Saleh loyalists and their apparent decision to use children as human shields and militants, which is a flagrant violation of international laws. The coalition requested that the UN report be corrected and it also called upon the UN to continue its cooperation in order to promote the safety and protection of children. The coalition also invited the UN to hold the Houthis and Saleh loyalists accountable for crimes against children in Yemen.
According to the coalition, if it had not been for the Iranian intervention in Yemen and the coup instigated by Houthis and Saleh loyalists, threats to neighboring countries and Hezbollah and Iran-backed missiles launched at Saudi Arabia, the conflict in Yemen would not have begun. The coalition stressed its willingness to keep helping the Yemeni people by maintaining stability in the region.
Saudi Arabia, on its hand, rejected on Friday information and numbers listed in a UN report that blames the Saudi-led coalition for killing or injuring 683 children in Yemen, describing the report as “inaccurate and misleading.” Saudi UN Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said in a statement that his country exercises the maximum degree of care and precaution to avoid civilian harm.
Also on Friday, sources close to the situation in Yemen said there is evidence provided by the Yemeni National Committee for Investigation proving that Houthi militias falsified the death certificates of children who were claimed dead in the Coalition air strikes. “There are more than 100 falsified death certificates, which prove that the numbers listed in the UN Secretary General’s annual Children and armed conflict report (CAAC) were inaccurate,” the sources said.
In a press conference held on Friday in New York, the Saudi ambassador said: “the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the coalition reaffirm that it is taking important measures to protect civilians during all military operations to end the suffering of the Yemeni people and minimize the humanitarian cost.”
In a report submitted to the UN Security Council on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres blacklisted the Saudi-led coalition for its 2016 actions. The Saudi diplomat said his country had reservations on listing the Arab Coalition in the second section of the UN report concerning the situation of civilians and children in Yemen.
“We reject the inaccurate and misleading information and figures contained in the report that were gathered from biased sources and we express our strong reservation with respect to this information.” Al Mouallimi blamed the Iran-allied Al Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen’s ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh for putting civilians at risk, including using children as human shields.