JEDDAH: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi militias in Yemen has denounced a UN statement on civilian casualties in the war-torn country as “biased” toward the rebels.
The coalition said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that the UN needs to review the humanitarian work mechanism and the competence of its employees working in Yemen.
The fighting is futile and absurd, UN resident coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said.
He claimed that coalition airstrikes killed 109 civilians over the past 10 days, including 68 in one day in separate airstrikes.
The coalition said McGoldrick’s statement “creates a constant state of uncertainty about the information and data on which the UN relies and undermines its credibility.”
Turki Al-Maliki, the coalition spokesman, said the statement ignores the crimes being committed by the Houthis against the Yemeni people, namely the killings, kidnappings and arrests of hundreds of members of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s General People’s Congress Party, their children and women, as well as the targeting of civilians.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary James Mattis blamed the Houthis for stockpiling weapons in residential areas, which he said was not a sign that they care about the safety of civilians.
Coalition says UN ‘biased’ in Houthis’ favor
Coalition says UN ‘biased’ in Houthis’ favor
