United Nations removes Saudi-led Yemen coalition from child rights blacklist

The United Nations said on Monday that it has removed the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a child rights blacklist pending a joint review by the United Nations and the coalition.

The United Nations Children and Armed Conflict report on Thursday accused the coalition of responsibility for 60 per cent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year and half the attacks on schools and hospitals.

“Pending the conclusions of the joint review, the secretary-general removes the listing of the coalition in the report’s annex,” said Stephane Dujarric in a statement.

Saudi Arabia has strongly protested against the report saying the information contained in the report is based on “inaccurate and incomplete information”.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said earlier the decision was temporary, pending a review of the evidence.

However, Saudi Arabia’s UN Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said the removal of the coalition from the blacklist was “irreversible and unconditional”.

“We were wrongly placed on the list,” he told reporters. “We know that this removal is final.”

Human rights organizations accuse the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen of violating international humanitarian law.

Amnesty International has demanded all countries that support the coalition, including the United States and Britain, to stop supplying it with weapons.