UN officials have openly criticized the “the virtual silence” with regard to civilian suffering in the Yemeni conflict from the world community, warning that unless violence on the ground is stopped via political compromise more people will suffer.
Adama Dieng, the special adviser on prevention of genocide, and Jennifer Welsh, the special adviser on responsibility to protect, “expressed concern at the ever increasing impact on civilians of the ongoing conflict in Yemen, and the virtual silence of the international community about the threat to populations.”
The joint statement by the senior officials comes a day after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said over 2,000 civilians have been killed in Yemen. Since the conflict escalated in late March, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented some 6,631 civilian casualties, including 2,112 civilian deaths and 4,519 injuries, RT reported.
However, the UN officials believe the actual numbers could be much higher. According to local media, Saudi-led coalition strikes killed at least 54 people across Yemen on Tuesday alone, including four children.
The civilian death toll is on the rise in recent weeks, after the coalition stepped up airstrikes on Houthi positions following thier missile attack in Marib province on September 4 which killed more than 60 Gulf Arab troops.
“Recent developments are likely to lead to escalation of the violence in central Yemen, particularly if Sana’a becomes the scene of confrontations between the Saudi-led military coalition and the Houthi forces, and civilians will bear the brunt of this violence,” warned Dieng and Welsh.
The UN heavyweights warned that unless a serious commitment to find a political solution to the conflict is reached, the situation is likely to degenerate further. To aid reconciliation, Dieng and Welsh, reminded that the international community has a responsibility to protect civilians from war crimes.
