UN Special Envoy Dismayed By Killing Of Civilians, Including Children, In Yemen

UN Special Envoy Dismayed by Killing of Civilians, Including Children, in Yemen

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths late on Tuesday expressed concern over the recent murder of civilians in the Yemeni provinces of Al Hudaydah and Taiz, with over 10 children being among the victims, and urged the warring parties to protect the civilian population in the circumstances of the ongoing war

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2020) UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths late on Tuesday expressed concern over the recent murder of civilians in the Yemeni provinces of Al Hudaydah and Taiz, with over 10 children being among the victims, and urged the warring parties to protect the civilian population in the circumstances of the ongoing war.

On Tuesday, a representative of the United Nations Children's Fund to Yemen, Philippe Duamelle, said that 11 children were killed over the past three days in two separate attacks, warning that the actual number of casualties could be higher.

"I am dismayed by the killings of many civilians, including so far, 11 children in Hudaydah, Durayhimi and Taiz over the past few days. The parties have obligations under international law to protect civilians. Even wars have rules," Griffiths said, as cited by his office on Twitter.

The UN envoy reiterated that his office would continue to take measures to implement a ceasefire agreement, which obliges the belligerents to "de-escalate violence and reduce the risk to civilian lives" in all parts of Yemen.

Duamelle said that a one-month-old baby was reportedly among those killed.

"The killing of children is appalling. Children should be protected at all times. We call on all parties to the conflict to take all feasible measures to spare children and keep them out of harm's way," Duamelle added.

Yemen has been gripped by a civil war between the government forces and the rebel Houthi movement for over six years, which resulted in the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the number of people who died as a result of the long-lasting internal conflict in Yemen stands at 233,000.