Local Editor
Thousands of Yemenis marched in the capital Sana’a on Sunday outraged over an airstrike a day earlier by the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi Ansarullah revolutionaries and their allies.
During the demonstration outside the U.N. building, some blamed the organization for not ending the conflict and urged an independent investigation.
The rally was called on by Yemen’s Supreme Political Council on Saturday after the Saudi airstrikes hit the south of the capital, where scores of people were gathered for the funeral of the father of Interior Minister Jalal al-Roweishan.
In one of the deadliest attacks in the region since March 2015, the Saudi missiles tore through the building, leaving behind dead bodies and limbs strewn everywhere. Among the victims were military and security officials.
The airstrike killed over 140 people. It was the latest in a string of bombings by the coalition that have struck hospitals, markets and other places where civilians congregate, in an effort to stamp out a revolutionary alliance battling the regime of President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The casualty toll, given by a U.N. official, also mentioned more than 525 wounded. The Health Ministry gave a lower figure, saying that 115 bodies had been counted but that the number will likely rise because "charred remains" were still being identified. Of the 600 wounded it tallied, it said many cases were serious and at least 300 people needed treatment abroad.
Inside a hospital treating the wounded, survivors spoke of successive airstrikes during the funeral service, which was held for the father of an official from the rebel government controlling the capital.
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.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
