6 civilians killed, 4 injured in explosion of projectiles left by coalition in Yemen

SANAA, July 21 (YPA) – At least six civilians were killed and four others were injured when projectiles left by Saudi-led coalition forces exploded on Friday and Saturday in the provinces of Marib and Amran.

This came in a statement issued by the Executive Center for Mine Action.

The center stated that the number of victims of coalition bombs remnants and weapons during the first half of the year 2023 amounted to 150, including martyrs and wounded, noting that this statistic is not comprehensive.

The statement stated that since the start of the Saudi-led coalition war on March 26, 2015, 9,500 victims have been documented, including martyrs and wounded, most of whom fell as a result of the cluster bombs that the coalition used excessively on a large scale in the Yemeni provinces.

The center’s statement said, “There has been no response from the United Nations in providing the equipment until today, despite the widespread pollution that Yemen is witnessing, according to the statement of the Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).”

The Mine Action Center called on the United Nations to play its humanitarian role in providing detectors and to continue supporting mine action instead of reducing support for its activities, which since the beginning of 2023 has reached 90 percent.

The statement also called on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, civil society organizations, and the media to do their duty towards the United Nations decision to stop mine-related activities in Yemen, as stipulated in Article VI of the Ottawa Convention.

The Executive Center for Mine Action affirmed that the United Nations bears humanitarian and moral responsibility for the increasing number of victims.

The center considered the suspension of humanitarian activities as a violation of the principles of impartiality, as stipulated in the Geneva Convention, the protocol, humanitarian laws, and the protection of civilians, whether during or after the war.

YPA