Civilian deaths mount in Yemen
U.S.-backed Saudis continue deadly strikes
In one day this week, at least 68 Yemeni civilians were killed by airstrikes, according to the United Nations.
The first struck a busy market in Taiz province, leaving 54 people dead, including eight children, and 32 injured. The second killed 14 members of the same family in Hudaydah province.
Tuesday’s bombings killed more people than this week’s terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and Cairo combined — and was among the bloodiest days for civilians since the Saudi-led attacks in Yemen began in March 2015.
They are also another stark reminder of the huge humanitarian costs of nearly three years of air attacks on Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition against a rebel force that ousted the remnants of a Saudi-backed government in early 2015. As UN representative Jamie McGoldrick put it, there is a “complete disregard for human life” by all parties to this “absurd war.”
The Saudi-led coalition, which has relied on some U.S. logistical support, has been conducting airstrikes on Yemen since March 2015.
The rebels, known as Houthis, still control parts of the country, and show no signs of backing down.
In the meantime, the United Nations estimates that at least 8,750 people have been killed by airstrikes since the Saudi-led coalition began its assault on Yemen. (The U.S. government is providing the Saudi campaign with significant military assistance, such as aerial refuelling tankers and intelligence. And U.S. companies are providing missile systems for the Saudi attack.)
Saudi Arabia and its allies believe the Houthis are kept afloat with weapons from Iran, including missiles fired toward the Saudi capital Riyadh. Iran has denounced the Saudi-led attacks on Yemen, but insists it does not supply the Houthis with arms.
There have been at least 15,489 air raids — an average of about 474 a month — on Yemen since March 2015. (One air raid could result in multiple airstrikes.) About a third of those hit civilian sites, according to the Yemen Data Project, made up of academics and aid workers. It tracks strikes using on-the-ground reporting along with maps and aerial data.
Areas in the north, largely controlled by the Houthi rebels, are the most vulnerable. The city of Saada was the most heavily hit region, followed by Taiz.
As a Saada resident Hisham Abdullah told Al Jazeera, “death and destruction are the first things to greet you when entering Saada province.”
“You could be at home sleeping, walking to the shops, playing football with your children, but at any moment a Saudi airstrike can take you out,” the 27-year-old father of two said.