By Samuel Osborne
A European Union effort to launch an independent inquiry into Yemen’s civil war has been dumbed down after the UK refused to support it.
The Netherlands had proposed that the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) set up an independent inquiry into civilian deaths in Yemen, but foreign secretary Boris Johnson rejected calls for Britain to support the international inquiry last week.
He insisted that the Government is "using a very, very wide variety of information sources about what is happening to acquaint ourselves with the details" about the war in Yemen, where a Saudi Arabia-led coalition is accused of committing war crimes.
In a joint open letter, Human Rights Watch and other NGOs called for the HRC to "establish an international, independent me¬chanism to investigate alleged serious violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law committed" in Yemen.
However, after the UK refused to lend its support, the Netherlands’ proposal was watered down to suggest the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) dispatch a mission to monitor the situation.
"Blocking attempts to create an international inquiry is a betrayal of the people of Yemen who have suffered so much during this conflict," Polly Truscott of Amnesty International said.
"It’s shocking. The UK ought to be standing up for justice and accountability, not acting as a cheerleader for arms companies."
Two senior MPs have since urged Johnson to back the independent probe, saying the matter was urgent in light of the country’s growing death toll.
Her statement came only two days after airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition bombed houses in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, killing at least 32 civilians.
Earlier this month leaked draft report from Britain’s Committee on Arms Exports Control said Britain should halt its sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia while accusations of war crimes are investigated.
The committee, which comprises 16 MPs from four parties, also said it was likely British weapons had been used to violate international law.
Both the European Parliament and the House of Commons International Development Committee have already called for exports to the autocracy to stop, but the Government says it has not seen evidence of Saudi war crimes.
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: The Independent, Edited by Website Team
