RIYADH – Saudi Arabia is trying shut down a UN-backed war crimesinvestigation in Yemen, Human Rights Watch said Friday, calling it a”blatant attempt to avoid scrutiny” of its conduct in the country.
The group s allegations are backed by rival resolutions on Yemen proposedat the ongoing session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
A resolution led by a group of European countries and Canada calls for aone-year extension of the inquiry that last month reported evidence ofpossible war crimes by all sides in Yemen, including the Saudi-ledcoalition.
A second text, led by Tunisia on behalf of the group of Arab states, makesno mention of extending the probe but calls for Yemen s often-criticisedNational Commission of Inquiry to continue studying the conflict.
Saudi Arabi and its ally the United Arab Emirates are both members of theArab group on the 47-member rights council.
“The Saudi-led coalition s campaign to discredit and undermine a UNinvestigation into abuses by all Yemen’s warring parties is yet anotherblatant attempt to avoid scrutiny of the coalition s own actions in Yemen,”John Fisher, HRW s Geneva director, said in a statement.
“The Human Rights Council cannot afford to fail Yemeni civilians. Statesshould renew the mandate of the (probe) or risk the Council s credibility,”he added.
Diplomatic haggling over the rival texts is like to continue before thecurrent rights council session closes next week.
The resolution that first set up the inquiry followed a years-longdiplomatic fight. At the 11th hour, Saudi diplomats threatened economicretaliation against states that voted for the project.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support PresidentAbedrabbo Mansour Hadi s government against Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
Yemen has since descended into what the UN calls the world s worsthumanitarian crisis, with an estimated 10,000 people killed and millions atrisk of starvation.
The coalition has been accused of bombing multiple civilian targets,including buses and hospitals. – APP/AFP