South Arabia-led coalition denies Yemen prison attack allegations

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Yemenis inspect the damage the day after a Saudi-led airstrike on a prison in the Houthi stronghold of Sa’ada, northern Yemen, on January 22, 2022. – AFP photo

The Saudi-led coalition on Saturday denied carrying out an airstrike on a rebel-held prison in northern Yemen, which aid groups said killed at least 70 people, including migrants, women and children.

Claims that the coalition ordered the raid, which reduced buildings to rubble and left rescuers to search for survivors with their bare hands, were “baseless”, the alliance said.

The attack, which coincided with a coalition strike on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah that killed three children and shut down internet in the impoverished country, was condemned by UN chief Antonio Guterres.

But “these assertions adopted by the militia are groundless and baseless,” said coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki, referring to the Iran-backed rebels.

This week has seen a dramatic upsurge in the conflict that has already killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, creating what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Rebels took the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting the Saudi-led intervention – backed by the United States, France and Britain – in March 2015. It was supposed to last just a few weeks.

The latest violence came after Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for their first deadly attack on Abu Dhabi, capital of coalition partner the United Arab Emirates, on Monday, pushing the conflict into a new phase.

The drone and missile attack, which killed three people, was the first deadly attack the UAE has acknowledged within its borders and prompted threats of retaliation.

The internet blackout, which entered its second day on Saturday according to web monitor NetBlocks, complicated rescue work and media reporting as news slowed.

“Yemen’s nationwide internet disruption continues with no indication of recovery,” NetBlocks said.

Unverified footage released by the Huthis revealed horrific scenes in the bombed-out prison, as rescue workers rushed to dig up bodies and mutilated corpses were placed in heaps.

Eight aid agencies operating in Yemen said in a joint statement that the prison in Saada, the rebels’ home base, served as a detention center for migrants, who accounted for many victims.

They said they were “horrified to learn that more than 70 people, including migrants, women and children, have been killed…in blatant disregard for civilian life.”

Hospitals were overwhelmed as hundreds of injured poured in, aid workers said.

“It is impossible to know how many people were killed. It seems to have been a horrific act of violence,” said Ahmed Mahat, Head of Mission for Doctors Without Borders in Yemen.

Meeting on Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously condemned the “heinous terrorist attacks” against Abu Dhabi, but the Norwegian presidency of the Council also denounced the strikes against Yemen.

In a later statement, the UN chief reminded “all parties that attacks directed against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international humanitarian law.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on “all parties to the conflict to de-escalate” and “uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law”.

Iran also condemned recent airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas on Saturday, warning that they have “made the road to a just peace in the country even more difficult”, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said. foreigners, Saeed Khatibzadeh.

Saudi Arabia accuses regional rival Iran of providing military support to the Houthis, including missiles and rockets, which Tehran denies.

Khatibzadeh said there was a lack of “serious determination to advance the political settlement of the Yemeni crisis”, warning that it would lead to “the destruction of the country and instability in the region”.

The Huthis have warned foreign businesses to leave the “dangerous” UAE, a veiled threat of revenge attacks after Friday’s strikes.

“We advise foreign companies in the Emirates to leave because they are investing in a dangerous country and the leaders of this country continue their aggression against Yemen,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned.

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