Saudi coalition refutes ‘biased’ and ‘inaccurate’ UN Yemen report

The Arab coalition said some aspects of the report were incorrect and biased. (SPA)
Updated 30 August 2018
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Saudi coalition refutes ‘biased’ and ‘inaccurate’ UN Yemen report

  • Report ignored the role of Houthis in starting the conflict and their Iran backers
  • UN allegations based on 'misleading reports of some NGOs and media publications'

JEDDAH: The Arab coalition on Wednesday refuted a UN report on Yemen that made a series of accusations against the alliance.

In a strongly worded statement, the coalition, which supports forces loyal to the internationally recognized government, rejected the claim that it did not provide information requested by the UN.

The coalition dismissed as “false” and “inaccurate” claims in the report that its forces were obstructing humanitarian access to civilians in the country.

The statement also said the report, which was published on Tuesday, disregarded the humanitarian role played by the coalition countries in Yemen, including recent donations from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait amounting to $1.8 billion. 

The coalition also accused the panel of experts who drafted the report of bias and ignoring the fact that the conflict started after the Houthi militia seized control of the capital Sanaa in a “coup” in 2014.

The statement said the report also ignored the role played by Iran in supporting the Houthis.

“The coalition countries completely disagree with all the report’s conclusion,” the statement said. “The report had many methodological fallacies, some regarding the description of the conflict’s facts, which lacked objectivity.” 

The coalition said the report’s false allegations that its forces had targeted civilians “were based on misleading reports of some NGOs and media publications.”

“These allegations were included in the report although the coalition countries had already refuted them during their meetings with the UN group of experts,” the statement said.

“The coalition affirms that the group rushed while objectively assessing the human rights situation in Yemen, as well as the inaccuracies in its conclusions and recommendations.”


Syrian authorities find remains of five victims of Assad regime

Updated 6 sec ago
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Syrian authorities find remains of five victims of Assad regime

  • The remains of the individuals were scattered on open ground near a house in the village of Al-Qashla, near Manbij

LONDON: Syrian authorities completed the recovery of the remains of at least five individuals in eastern Aleppo province, believed to have died due to the brutal practices of the deposed Bashar Assad regime.

The Syrian Civil Defense found the remains of individuals scattered on open ground near a house in the village of Al-Qashla, near Manbij, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.

They have been surveying and investigating the area since Monday, when the first report of human remains came through, in coordination with the National Authority for the Missing.

Authorities have found multiple mass graves in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.

Last week, authorities reported that the remains of 14 individuals were found in the Adra industrial area, northeast of Damascus, during excavation for mill foundations in the area.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, nearly 177,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Syria since March 2011.