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7 heartbreaking images show why US lawmakers want to stop supporting the brutal Saudi-led war in Yemen that's seen indiscriminate attacks and left millions at the brink of famine
7 heartbreaking images show why US lawmakers want to stop supporting the brutal Saudi-led war in Yemen that's seen indiscriminate attacks and left millions at the brink of famine
Daniel BrownNov 30, 2018, 03:50 IST
A nurse comforts a girl infected with diphtheria at the al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen October 21, 2018.Reuters
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The Senate on Wednesday advanced a resolution to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The resolution, which calls on the president to remove most US troops in Yemen, passed 63 to 37. The resolution failed to pass earlier this year.
Democrats unanimously voted in favor of the resolution, and even prominent Republicans, including Sens. Bob Corker, Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul, also voted in favor of the measure.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to defeat the Iranian-backed Houthis fighting the Yemeni government.
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The US has supported the coalition with limited intelligence sharing, training with the professed aim of making aistrikes more precise, limiting civilian casualties and mid-air refuels for coalition jets.
Amid the political backlash against the kindgom over the killing of a journalist by Saudi operatives, the Pentagon announced in November that it would stop refueling coalition jets.
The coalition has conducted airstrikes that have indiscriminately killed and wounded thousands of civilians, and implemented a host of economic measures, such as periodic blockades and import restrictions, that have caused severe food insecurity and disease.
In fact, the war in Yemen has been described as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. But it took the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi for US action against the Saudi-led coalition to grow stronger.
Here are 7 facts to know about the Saudi-led coalition's brutal war in Yemen.
Approximately 84,701 children have died from severe acute malnutrition between April 2015 and October 2018. Children in such a state are in terrible pain, but often don't have the energy to cry.
Indiscriminate airstrikes, which could amount to war crimes, have killed and wounded thousands of civilians.
In fact, the number of dead and wounded civilians from coalition airstrikes vary widely according to different organizations.
Since March 2015, airstrikes have killed 6,660 civilians and wounded more than 10,000, according to the UN.
Similar figures have been reported by other organizations, but these rough figures haven't been updated for years due to the nearly impossible task of recording death tolls in such a conflict zone.
The Washington Post reported in August that one independent estimate put the death toll from airstrikes and combat at 50,000.
Such examples of indiscriminate airstrikes are the Saudi-led coalition airstrike in August that hit a school bus, killing 43 and wounding 63, most of whom were children.
A few weeks later, another Saudi-led coalition airstrike reportedly hit another bus, killing more than 20 children.
Or another Saudi-led coalition airstrike in April that hit a wedding in Hajjah, reportedly killing 20 civilians and wounding 30 more. The strike also killed the bride, and wounded the groom.
Another Saudi airstrike on Oct. 13th hit two buses of civilians at a Houthi checkpoint near Hodeidah, killing 17 and injuring about 20 more.
The list goes on and on.
The United Arab Emirates, which is also a major player in the coalition, has been accused of arbitrarily detaining, disappearing and torturing people, even children, thought to be political opponents or security threats.
Former detainees told the AP that they were beaten, forced into shipping containers covered in feces for weeks, sexually assaulted, and tied to a spit called a "grill" in which they were spun around in a circle.
The UAE denied has denied the allegations. The US also admitted to interrogating detainees, but denied any knowledge of torture and abuse.
The Houthis, on the other hand, have also been accused of several human rights abuses, including indiscriminate missile attacks, using child soldiers and more.
