International Body Must Probe Yemen Situation: UN

 Local Editor

The UN high commissioner for human rights has expressed concerns over the ongoing Saudi air strikes against Yemen, calling for an "independent" international inquiry into rights violations in the country.

The situation in Yemen should be subjected to a "comprehensive inquiry by an international independent body," Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said in the Swiss city of Geneva on Tuesday.

Zeid’s remarks come as Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015, with the UN putting the death toll from the military aggression at about 10,000.

The offensive was launched to reinstate Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, a Saudi ally who has resigned as Yemen’s president.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said last month that the death toll from the Saudi military aggression could rise even further as some areas had no medical facilities, and that people were often buried without any official record being made.

Saudi Arabia began its deadly campaign against Yemen in late March 2015. The strikes were meant to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

About 10,000 people have been killed and over 16,000 injured since Riyadh launched the airstrikes. The Saudi aggression has also taken a heavy toll on Yemen’s facilities and infrastructure.

Yemeni forces have been engaged in retaliatory attacks against the Saudi forces deployed in the country as well as targets inside Saudi Arabia.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team