Without international observers, Yemen plunges back into the worst levels of violence, as truce talks begin in Riyadh. Many civilians are being killed as parties to the conflict take advantage of the international community’s involvement in other crises.
“It is the deadliest year since 2016. In the first two months of 2022, as many people have died as in the previous two years. Since the disbandment Eminent Experts Group (EEG)the death toll has tripled every month,” warns Iona Craig, who collects data on the war for the NGO Yemen Data Project.
After the GEE
The GEE, since its deployment in September 2017, has provided a better monitoring of human rights violations in Yemen. In the conclusions of his four successive reports, he has consistently called on the warring parties – the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on one side, and the Saudi-UAE-led coalition on the other – to stop targeting civilians. He has also demanded that major arms suppliers, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, stop supporting Riyadh.
This pressure likely caused Saudi Arabia, responsible for a particularly deadly air campaign, to hold back for several years and retaliate with unprecedented pressure, documented by the British newspaper The Guardian, to end the observation mission. Several countries voted against renewing the GEE’s mandate, some in exchange for investment, others for fear that their nationals would be barred from making the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Riyadh thus achieved in October 2021 the GEE suspension, a tragic first in the history of the UN Human Rights Council. Saudi bombing has resumed with renewed vigor, targeting civilian infrastructure in particular. Projections from the Yemen Data Project suggest that gains made under GEE watch may be undone and that Yemenis will return to extreme violence.
Impunity
Accountability mechanisms are a tool used in most conflicts to provide civilian victims with solutions to violence. By naming the culprits for legal violations, the international community and civil society are in a position to put pressure on the affected states.
“It works and it has a direct effect on the ground, we have experienced it. We have seen it with the presence of the GEE,” says Radhya Al-Mutawakel, president of the Yemeni NGO Mwatana for Human Rights. The monitoring and reports issued by these experts have contributed to documenting human rights violations and have pushed the warring parties to take more account of the protection of civilians.Saudi airstrikes, in particular, have become rarer and more precise, while from 2014 to 2017, they very regularly hit targets whose military value seemed paltry.
But “We have the impression that impunity reigns and that the situation is only getting worse“, says Sukaina Sharafuddin, advocacy officer at the NGO Save The Children. The young Yemeni mother describes the many challenges civilians face on a daily basis. Parents skipping meals to feed their children, terrified children not bedwetters, children living with shrapnels in the body due to lack of care. “My son is in danger everywhere. At school, he is in danger. At home, he is in danger. But I am one of the lucky ones: many see their children starving,” she says.
feeling of abandonment
“We have spoken with many States, but we have not been able to find a champion. That is, a State or group of States that could present a resolution before the UN General Assembly calling for a new accountability mechanism for Yemen. This should be easy. But too many states are afraid of upsetting Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates,” laments Radhya Al-Mutawakel.
Within the UN, emergencies are many and Yemen is sinking into irrelevance. “Ukraine is taking all the energy at the UN. All other issues have been pushed aside. One way to look at it positively is that if we get real results on accountability in Ukraine, we can set a new standard for other devastated countries.” for the war,” says Sherine Tadros, Deputy Advocacy Director at Amnesty International.
There is little hope for the Yemenis, who are being abandoned while the international community mobilizes on other fronts. In the case of Ukrainethe Human Rights Council decided to create a commission to document violations of international law on March 4, a week after the start of the Russian offensive. “Don’t push us to be jealous of other civilians in other conflict zones. In all conflicts, civilians deserve to be defended, wherever they come from,” recalls Radhya Al-Mutawakel.
Without international observers, Yemen plunges back into the worst levels of violence, as truce talks begin in Riyadh. Many civilians are being killed as parties to the conflict take advantage of the international community’s involvement in other crises.
“It is the deadliest year since 2016. In the first two months of 2022, as many people have died as in the previous two years. Since the disbandment Eminent Experts Group (EEG)the death toll has tripled every month,” warns Iona Craig, who collects data on the war for the NGO Yemen Data Project.
After the GEE
The GEE, since its deployment in September 2017, has provided a better monitoring of human rights violations in Yemen. In the conclusions of his four successive reports, he has consistently called on the warring parties – the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on one side, and the Saudi-UAE-led coalition on the other – to stop targeting civilians. He has also demanded that major arms suppliers, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, stop supporting Riyadh.
This pressure likely caused Saudi Arabia, responsible for a particularly deadly air campaign, to hold back for several years and retaliate with unprecedented pressure, documented by the British newspaper The Guardian, to end the observation mission. Several countries voted against renewing the GEE’s mandate, some in exchange for investment, others for fear that their nationals would be barred from making the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Riyadh thus achieved in October 2021 the GEE suspension, a tragic first in the history of the UN Human Rights Council. Saudi bombing has resumed with renewed vigor, targeting civilian infrastructure in particular. Projections from the Yemen Data Project suggest that gains made under GEE watch may be undone and that Yemenis will return to extreme violence.
Impunity
Accountability mechanisms are a tool used in most conflicts to provide civilian victims with solutions to violence. By naming the culprits for legal violations, the international community and civil society are in a position to put pressure on the affected states.
“It works and it has a direct effect on the ground, we have experienced it. We have seen it with the presence of the GEE,” says Radhya Al-Mutawakel, president of the Yemeni NGO Mwatana for Human Rights. The monitoring and reports issued by these experts have contributed to documenting human rights violations and have pushed the warring parties to take more account of the protection of civilians.Saudi airstrikes, in particular, have become rarer and more precise, while from 2014 to 2017, they very regularly hit targets whose military value seemed paltry.
But “We have the impression that impunity reigns and that the situation is only getting worse“, says Sukaina Sharafuddin, advocacy officer at the NGO Save The Children. The young Yemeni mother describes the many challenges civilians face on a daily basis. Parents skipping meals to feed their children, terrified children not bedwetters, children living with shrapnels in the body due to lack of care. “My son is in danger everywhere. At school, he is in danger. At home, he is in danger. But I am one of the lucky ones: many see their children starving,” she says.
feeling of abandonment
“We have spoken with many States, but we have not been able to find a champion. That is, a State or group of States that could present a resolution before the UN General Assembly calling for a new accountability mechanism for Yemen. This should be easy. But too many states are afraid of upsetting Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates,” laments Radhya Al-Mutawakel.
Within the UN, emergencies are many and Yemen is sinking into irrelevance. “Ukraine is taking all the energy at the UN. All other issues have been pushed aside. One way to look at it positively is that if we get real results on accountability in Ukraine, we can set a new standard for other devastated countries.” for the war,” says Sherine Tadros, Deputy Advocacy Director at Amnesty International.
There is little hope for the Yemenis, who are being abandoned while the international community mobilizes on other fronts. In the case of Ukrainethe Human Rights Council decided to create a commission to document violations of international law on March 4, a week after the start of the Russian offensive. “Don’t push us to be jealous of other civilians in other conflict zones. In all conflicts, civilians deserve to be defended, wherever they come from,” recalls Radhya Al-Mutawakel.
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