SHAFAQNA – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed its concern about the high number of civilian casualties in Yemen due to the continuous of airstrikes on the country.
“During February, a total of at least 168 civilians were killed and 193 injured, around two-thirds of them by Coalition airstrikes,” said the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert Colville.
This casualty number is the “highest since September”, he added. Around 3,081 civilians have been killed and 5,733 injured since March 2015, Colville said.
Airstrikes account for the greatest number of casualties, with 99 people affected in the capital, Sana’a, in February, out of 246 people killed or wounded throughout the country during the month.
“In the worst single incident, at least 39 civilians were killed and another 33 injured on 27 February, during an airstrike on the Khaleq market in Sana’a’s north-eastern district of Nahem.”
There have also been worrying allegations – which we are still working to verify – that Coalition forces dropped cluster bombs on a mountainous area to the south of the Amran cement factory, Mr. Colville said.
He urged any investigation to be done in accordance with international standards, including independence and impartiality.