Yemeni fishermen killed by Saudi-UAE coalition attack

A Saudi-UAE air raid has targeted a dozen fishermen in Yemen, Al Jazeera reported today from Djibouti. According to the Saudi-led coalition, the fishermen’s boats were being used to smuggle weapons.

The incident took place on an island just off the coast of Hudaydah. Full details were not possible to ascertain due to the location of the attack. Yemeni fishermen are reportedly fearful about returning to sea given the indiscriminate targeting by the coalition.

Dozens of fishers men r reported missing aftr wave of #Saudi #UAE strikes on fishing boat s in Ugban island NW #Hodeidah W #Yemen
Another wave of strikes targeted all water wells in Kamaran island
Coalition backed by #USA #US #UK & #France is trying 2 empty island from civilians pic.twitter.com/3ffCIGuT6T

— Hussain Albukhaiti (@HussainBukhaiti) August 31, 2018

Twenty-eight people were killed and another 30 were injured in an attack by the coalition in early August. The Pentagon this week warned Saudi Arabia that America will reduce its military and intelligence support if the Saudis fail to limit civilian casualties in Yemen.

The momentum against the Saudi-led coalition fighting against the Houthis in Yemen began with the latest UN report accusing the alliance over potential war crimes earlier this week. The UN has previously mentioned violations of the law of armed conflict in Yemen, but directly insinuates now that crimes are likely to have taken place. The report also accused the Houthis of striking civilian targets, torture and recruiting child soldiers.

The ongoing conflict in Yemen escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies, including the UAE, launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains. The group had taken control of the capital, Sanaa, and large swathes of the country forcing the internationally-backed government into exile.

Some 400,000 Yemenis are trapped in Hudaydah, with very little supplies reaching them. Those who are stranded across Yemen are in a similar position.

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