Saudi Arabia has engaged in war crimes, and the United States is aiding and
abetting them by providing the Saudis with military assistance. In September
2015, Saudi aircraft killed 135 wedding celebrants in Yemen. The air strikes
have killed 2,800 civilians, including 500 children. Human Rights Watch charges
that these bombings “have indiscriminately killed and injured civilians.”
This conflict is part of a regional power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis are bombing Yemen in order to defeat the Houthi rebels, who have
been resisting government repression for a long time. Iran has been accused
of supporting the Houthis, although Iran denies this. Yemen is strategically
located on a narrow waterway that links the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. Much
of the world’s oil passes through this waterway.
A United Nations panel of experts concluded in October 2015 that the Saudi-led
coalition had committed “grave violations” of civilians’ human
rights. They include indiscriminate attacks; targeting markets, a camp for displaced
Yemenis, and humanitarian aid warehouses; and intentionally preventing the delivery
of humanitarian assistance. The panel was also concerned that the coalition
considered civilian neighborhoods, including Marra and Sadah, as legitimate
strike zones. The International Committee of the Red Cross documented 100 attacks
on hospitals.
Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions prohibits the targeting of civilians.
It provides that parties to a conflict “shall at all times distinguish
between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects
and military objectives and accordingly shall direct their operations only against
military objectives.”
Saudi Arabia is also engaging in serious individual human rights violations.