The United Nations deployed a team to the detention facility in Yemen's northern city of Saada to collect information on the number of casualties after the prison was hit by the Saudi-led Coalition's airstrikes last week, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement on Friday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2022) The United Nations deployed a team to the detention facility in Yemen's northern city of Saada to collect information on the number of casualties after the prison was hit by the Saudi-led Coalition's airstrikes last week, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement on Friday.
"Staff from the UN Human Rights Office in Yemen were inside that this week as part of an interagency mission following the 20 the 21st of January airstrikes that took place there," the statement said. "The information they have collected paints a chaotic and desperate picture after the prison inside that was struck."
The OHCHR said the team is working to verify the number of civilian casualties, but so far it has received reports of some 91 detainees who were killed, and 236 others injured.
Following the attack and calls from UN Chief Antonio Guterres for a probe, the Saudi-led Coalition said it was investigating the incident.
"We urge them to ensure that the investigation is... transparent, independent and impartial, to establish why the prison was hit, to ensure individual accountability," the OHCHR said. "We have asked the coalition to share their information with us."
The UN human rights office also noted that during its recent visit to the detention facility, it saw no signs indicating the site, formerly used by Houthis as a barracks, continues to have a military function.
Houthis recently targeted Abu Dhabi with drone attacks, killing three and injuring six others. In response to Houthi's recent drone attacks, the Saudi-led coalition, including the UAE, launched a campaign against the group, targeting their warehouses and other infrastructure in Yemen.
Yemen has been gripped by an internal conflict between the government forces and the Houthi movement for over six years. Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition fighting on the government's side has been conducting air, land and sea operations against the rebels. The Houthis often retaliate by firing projectiles and bomber drones on Saudi territory. The United Nations has described the situation in Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.�
