Saudi Arabia Killed 70 Muslims in July

Yemen war

According to the private research blog, Muslim Lives Count, Saudi Arabia killed a total of 70 Muslims and injured 29 others as the kingdom continues its onslaught on its impoverished neighbor, Yemen. 

Saudi Arabia and her Arab allies have been waging war against the Yemeni people since March 2015 in a bid to reinstall the West-allied former leader Abdur Rabuh Mansur Hadi. 

The Saudi war has led to the death of as many as 65, 000 Yemenis driving as many as 100, 000 from their homes. The war has also put 22.2 million of the population in need of food aid with 8.4 million facing the risk of starvation. 

The war has triggered several cholera outbreaks in the impoverished country resulting in the deaths of over 2, 230 civilians majorly children. 

On 24^th of July, UNICEF condemned in strong terms incessant attacks on the water supply system in Yemen by Saudi Arabia. The UNICEF regional Director for the Middle East, Geert Cappelaere, said in the statement, “UNICEF deplores in the strongest terms yet another attack on vital and lifesaving water systems in Yemen. Continuous attacks on water systems in Yemen are cutting off children and their families from water; increasing the likelihood of water-borne diseases spreading in the war-torn country.” Geert went on to add that “Attacks on civilian infrastructure including water systems are a violation of international humanitarian law”. 

In January 2018, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the united nations to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia’s military leaders including the crown price, Mohamed bin Salman, who is also serving as the kingdoms Defense Minister. 

The Middle East Director at HRW, Sarah Leah Whitson, said in the statement that was released on 18^th January 2018, “United Nations Security Council sanctions on Houthi leaders should be extended to senior [Saudi-led] coalition military leaders, including Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman, for their role in obstructing aid and other abuses.” 

The report also noted, "Coalition military actions have violated laws-of-war prohibitions on restricting humanitarian assistance and on destroying objects essential to the survival of the civilian population." 

In other parts of the report, it stated, "These violations, as well as the coalition’s disregard for the reported suffering of the civilian population, suggest that the coalition may be violating the prohibition against using starvation as a method of warfare, which is a war crime.”

On the involvement of the west in the ongoing onslaught, Sarah Leah Whitson intimated reporters on the fact that “the US, UK, France and others are risking complicity in unlawful coalition airstrikes by continuing to provide weapons to Saudi Arabia.”

In very clear and emphatic terms, Sarah said, “Faced with the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, governments should be urging the UN to enact sanctions against Saudi leaders, not selling them more bombs to use on Yemeni markets, schools, and hospitals.”