Killing and Injuring of more than 2 thousand Children by Houthis Militia in Taiz in Five Months

Yemeni Coalition for Monitoring Human Rights Violations, has revealed killing of 300 children and injuring of 1804 others in Taiz governorate, due to Houthis-Saleh militia’s shelling, during April-September 2017

In its recent report “Children in the Range of Fire”, Rasd Coalition has indicated that 48 children were killed and 193 others were injured, since beginning of 2017, by mortar and howitzer shelling on Taiz residential civilian areas, recent to mention is the attack on Onswa village on 2 November 2017, where 5 children were killed and 2 others injured.

The report further noted that Onswa is under siege by the militia for more than two years, from three sides; Al-Qar’e and Azzeba mountain, and the military sites in Al-Khamseen street, Wa’sh mountain and Al-Shaibani yard, and the villagers are under constant shelling and snipers’ fires, that has deteriorated the humanitarian situation in the village.

Rasd Coalition called upon Houthis-Saleh militia to cease immediately all hostilities against civilians, in particular children in Taiz and in other confrontation zones, and to commit to common article three of Genève four conventions, and 1977 protocol of non-international armed conflicts, being the only guarantee to protect civilians and children from war ravages.

The Coalition also called upon the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Human Rights Violations, to investigate Onswa attack, and bring perpetuators to justice, and called upon UN system, local and international organizations to exert all pressures on Houthis-Saleh militia to immediately cease all atrocities against children in Yemen.