Local Editor

United Nations [UN] Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned on Monday the latest Saudi-led airstrikes that reportedly struck a wedding party in Wahijah village, outside of the Red Sea port city of Mokha in Yemen, killing as many as 131 people.

"The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims and a swift recovery to those injured", his spokesperson said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General has consistently stated that there is no military solution to the conflict in Yemen. Its continuation will only bring more human suffering and destruction", the statement said. 

The statement further said that any intentional attack against civilians is considered a serious violation of international humanitarian law and should be investigated through prompt, effective, independent and impartial mechanisms to ensure accountability.

Ban called once again on all parties involved in the Yemeni conflict, from inside and outside the country, "to immediately cease all military activities and resolve all differences through peaceful negotiations facilitated by his Special Envoy".

A Saudi-led coalition backed by the United States has been carrying out a military aggression on Yemen by launching airstrikes against the country since March 26. The airstrikes have not been authorized by the United Nations [UN]. 

The ’civilian’ death toll in Yemen has risen to more than 2,300 with more than 4,000 other civilians wounded in the fighting in the country that has raged for more than a year now, according to the UN recently this month [September]. Yet, other organizations put the death toll at much higher.