17 civilians killed in third attack on Yemen market

The UN considers the war in Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. (File/AFP)

• The UN said 12 Ethiopian migrants were among the 17 civilians killed in the incident
• The UN says 89 civilians have either been killed or wounded in the attacks on the market

SANAA: Seventeen civilians were killed in an attack in a market in Yemen’s northern Saada governorate, the United Nations said, the third deadly assault on the same location in just over a month.
The attacks come despite relative calm in Yemen, where large-scale combat between government troops and the Iran-aligned Houthi militia has subsided.
The UN said 12 Ethiopian migrants were among the 17 civilians killed in the incident on Tuesday at the Al-Raqw market in Saada governorate, a Houthi stronghold.
At least 12 people were wounded, it said, without saying who was responsible or what weapons were used.
Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted Arab coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki on Thursday as saying his coalition command is investigating an attack that targeted the Houthi militia on Tuesday in Saada’s district of Monabbih. That’s the same area where Al-Raqw market exists. 
He said the attack might have resulted in “accidental losses” and “collateral damages,” adding that all the documents relating to the incident have beeb referred to the Joint Incident Assessment Team and the results of the investigation will be made public.
“We underscore the Joint Forces Command’s commitment to applying the highest standards of targeting and implementing the customary international humanitarian law in its military operations. We will take all necessary procedures pertaining to incidents to achieve the highest levels of accountability and transparency,” he said.
An attack on Al-Raqw market on November 22 killed 10 civilians, again including Ethiopian nationals, and just days later, at least another 10 civilians were killed and 22 wounded in a second such incident.
The UN says 89 civilians have either been killed or wounded in the attacks on the market. Local Houthi rebel authorities heavily restrict access to journalists and rights groups into the region of Saada, which has seen some of the war’s worst fighting.
Yemen’s conflict erupted in 2014, when the Houthis overran the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north, pushing out Yemen’s internationally recognized government and ushering in a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people. The fighting has also left millions suffering from food and medical shortages and pushed the country to the brink of famine.
The UN considers the war in Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
(With AFP and AP)