Millions of Yemenis protest in Sana’a against Saudi invasion

On Sunday, March 26, millions of Yemenis gathered in front of the United Nations headquarters in the capital Sana’a in light of the second anniversary of Yemen’s invasion by the Saudis, backed by the US and its allies from GCC countries. The protesters condemned the   ongoing Saudi aggression as well as its indiscriminate air strikes causing thousands of causalities. Despite the overwhelming evidence of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and war crime, UN and other international stakeholders have chosen inaction.  The protestors denounced the international silence and called for an independent international investigation in to the war crimes committed by Saudi-led coalition aimed at ensuring justice and reparation for Yemeni people.

During the two-years of Saudi invasion, , the UN estimates that more than 10’000 lives have been lost because of the attacks carried out by the Saudi-led forces and over 40’000 have been wounded. Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries who imports most of its food, has been brought to the brink of famine. The ongoing blockade, imposed by the Saudi-led coalition on air and land embargo is keeping food and medical supplies from entering the nation and helping millions of hungry and sick children, women and men. Owing to the Saudi blockade, more than 7 million people are in desperate need for food assistance and more than 2.2 million children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with children under 5 dying every 10 minutes.  “Two years of wanton violence and bloodshed, thousands of deaths and millions of people desperate for their basic rights to food, water, health and security,” stated UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, “enough is enough”. The genocide in Yemen is one of the biggest humanitarian crisis since WWII, said HC Zeid. According to the UN,

ICSFT condemns in the strongest term the war crimes carried out by the Saudi-led forces over the past two years and calls for the UN and international community to put an end to the genocide in Yemen and bring the perpetrators of these violations to justice- there is no excuse not to stand for human rights now. Accountability should no longer take the back sit at the expense of innocent Yemeni casualties.