UN experts to probe war crimes in Yemen

The UN Human Rights Council agreed on Friday to send war crimes investigators to Yemen, overcoming resistance from Saudi Arabia which sought to fend off an independent international probe.             

In a resolution adopted by consensus, the council mandated UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein to send a group of “eminent experts” to Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition had been bombing Houthi rebels since March 2015.

The group will then "carry out a comprehensive examination of all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights" committed in the conflict and try "to identify those responsible."

"We believe that this urgent request could no longer be ignored," Dutch ambassador Monique TG Van Daalen told the Geneva forum on behalf of a core group of Western states.

"A credible international investigation is necessary in order to comprehensively, transparently, independently and impartially establish facts and circumstances surrounding violations with a view to put an end to the cycle of impunity in Yemen and to help prevent future violations," she added.

TRT World's Elizabeth Maddock has more. 

Launching the probe marks a victory for a group of European states and Canada which pushed hard for an international inquiry fully independent of the Yemeni national investigation, which the Saudis support.

The Saudi-led coalition has been accused of bombing schools, markets, hospitals and other civilian targets in support of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

The Houthi rebels have also been accused of major violations, which the UN team will also probe.

Blocking international probe

Saudi Arabia had for the past two years succeeded in blocking the rights chief's call for an international investigation.

In a letter leaked to several media outlets this week, the kingdom threatened economic and diplomatic retaliation against rights council members which voted for the EU/Canadian proposal.

The Saudi envoy to the council, Abdulaziz Alwasil, ended up endorsing Friday's resolution, which was slightly softer than previous EU proposals.

The war in Yemen has killed more than 10,000 people and wounded nearly 49,000 others, according to several estimates.

Over 17 million Yemenis are now facing dire food shortages, and a nationwide cholera epidemic has killed over 2,100 people since April.