Tuesday, September 29, 2015

UN chief condemns deadly air strike 'on Yemen wedding'

The UN chief has strongly condemned a reported attack in Yemen blamed for the deaths of an estimated 135 civilians at a wedding party, while calling for an investigation.

The incident happened on Monday, with local medical officials accusing the Arab coalition of causing the deaths while bombing a village near the Red Sea port of al-Mokha.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies launched an air campaign in March against the Iran-allied Shia Houthis, after they forced Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.

More than 2,000 civilians have been killed in the ongoing conflict, according to the UN.

Saudi Arabia's official news agency carried no comment on the reports of the deaths in al-Mokha, but the spokesman for the Arab coalition rejected the claims of air attacks in the area.

"Any intentional attack against civilians is considered a serious violation of international humanitarian law," Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said in a statement on Monday.

"Violations of international law should be investigated through prompt, effective, independent and impartial mechanisms to ensure accountability."

Reports said the fatalities include children.

Tribal leader's account

A local tribal leader told DPA news agency that coalition aircraft first struck a pavilion for female guests at the wedding in Wagha village, while the women were gathering around the bride.

A second strike then hit the separate pavilion for male guests, Sheikh Abdullah al-Fadhli, the tribal leader, said after visiting the scene of the attack.

Fadhli, a member of al-Mokha's local council, said there were no military positions or Houthi fighters in the vicinity of the wedding party.

Local residents and witnesses said that coalition aircraft had carried out intense raids against Houthi positions in the al-Mokha area in recent days.

A Saudi official told the European Parliament that his country was abiding by international law in its military campaign.

"Of course there is always going to be some casualties in any military conflict," Mohammed bin Amin al-Jefri, deputy speaker of Saudi Arabia's Consultative Assembly, said in Brussels................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/chief-condemns-deadly-air-strike-yemen-150929064109880.html

29/9/15
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