Volker Turk was urged by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to maintain the cease-fire in Yemen and work toward a diplomatic agreement that would put an end to the protracted conflict.
The UN official – in a statement today, Friday, in Geneva – expressed his deep concern about the security and safety of Yemeni civilians, pointing to reports of life losses and injuries caused by snipers attacks and bombing, in addition to an attack on a ports, and what exposed civilians to a serious danger.
Turk said that the ending armistice agreement had brought relatively calm to Yemen; Where a sharp decrease in civil losses occurred, fuel shipments flow to Hodeidah, and Sana’a airport was reopened years after the closure of commercial flights.
He expressed sadness over the truce’s ending on October 2 without the parties coming to an agreement to extend it, pointing out that despite these encouraging steps, the reopening of highways to evacuate the population of Taiz was not accomplished.
According to him, the UN Human Rights Office was looking into three bombing incidents that occurred on government-controlled land in the final week of October, along with sniper shootings and a Houthi drone attack on the Dabaa oil port in Hadramout Governorate, which exposed civilians to unjustified grave dangers.
The UN Commissioner urged all parties to the conflict to adhere strictly to the principles of international humanitarian law in managing military operations and to make every effort to significantly lessen the effects of military operations on civilians. She emphasised that the parties to the conflict are under strict obligations to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian relief organisations to the needy population and to facilitate Civilians’ access to humanitarian services and life-saving measures.
Volcker Turk urged an immediate halt to such attacks and demanded that the relevant authorities launch an investigation into such incidents and hold the responsible parties accountable. Volcker Turk warned that the deliberate targeting of civilians and notable civilians is prohibited by international law and constitutes a war crime.
The UN Commissioner requests that the armistice be prolonged and that efforts be made to reach a settlement through negotiation in Yemen.
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