by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
SANA’A, Yemen — On October 8, 2016, Saudi Arabia-led coalition jets bombed a funeral hall in Yemen, killing over 100 people.
The Joint Incidents Assessment Team (“JIAT”), a 14-nation, Saudi-led inquiry, declared that it “wrongly” bombed the ceremony based on “bad information.” It stated that coalition aircraft were wrongly told by a party “affiliated” with the “Yemeni presidency of the general chief of staff” that the funeral hall was occupied by Houthi leaders. JIAT said the party “insisted that the location be targeted immediately as a legitimate military target.” However, the coalition’s air operations center ordered the attack “without obtaining approval from the Coalition command.” This precautionary measure, they state, was necessary to “ensure that the location is not a civilian one that may not be targeted.” JIAT subsequently blamed the attack on “noncompliance with coalition rules of engagement” and the “issuing of incorrect information.”
Mr. Mohammed Atbukhaiti, a senior Houthi official, welcomed the findings. However, he noted that it shows how the coalition is “disorganized and reckless” and treats “the lives of the Yemeni people in a careless and disrespectful manner.” He stated that this attack was not the first time the Saudi-led coalition targeted, killed and injured large numbers of civilians. Mr. Atbukhaiti subsequently urged the United Nations and the international community to investigate other human rights violations.
The attack was one of the deadliest single assaults in the two-year conflict. Houthi administration officials stated the number of casualties as 135, while the United Nations indicated the death toll as 140. In addition to those killed in the attack, an additional estimated 600 people were injured.
The attack has attracted international criticism. Human Rights Watch stated that the attack was “an apparent war crime,” and called it “unlawfully disproportionate.” The organization formerly had called on the United States to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Human Rights Watch further urged an investigation into possible war crimes. The White House condemned the bombing, and stated that it had launched a review of its “already significantly reduced support” to the coalition. The United Nations Commissioner on Human Rights also condemned the attack, while characterizing it as “outrageous.”
The United Nations has identified that over 6,000 individuals have already been killed in the conflict, many of which are civilians. The organization further declared that millions more are suffering from hunger, illness and displacement. UNICEF stated that there are approximately 1.5 million children in Yemen who are malnourished due to the ongoing war.
For more information, please see:
CNN—Saudi-led coalition admits to airstrike on Yemen funeral—15 October 2016
NBC News—Yemen Funeral Bombing: Saudi-Led Coalition Blames ‘Erroneous Information’—16 October 2016
BBC News—Yemen conflict: Saudis blame funeral hall bombing on mistake—15 October 2016
