Saudi-led coalition accused of using cluster bombs in Yemen: HRW

Middle East, News May 3, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

Cluster munitions are banned by 116 countries for high civilian casualty tolls

BEIRUT – Credible evidence indicates that the Saudi-led coalition used banned cluster munitions supplied by the United States in airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Sunday.

A report released by New York-based HRW said the weapons have been dropped from coalition fighter jets targeting military installations and other points held by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Cluster munitions pose long-term dangers to civilians and are prohibited by a 2008 treaty adopted by 116 countries, though not Saudi Arabia, Yemen, or the United States.

The CBU-105 is one of the munitions banned in that treaty, HRW said.

An expended BLU-108 canister from a CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon found in the al-Amar area of al-Safraa, Saada governorate, in northern Yemen on April 17, 2015.

In its report, Human Rights Watch said credible video and photo evidence, coupled with satellite imagery, indicated that the munitions were dropped in villages in northern Saada province, the seat of Houthi power.

In Yemen, they “have been hitting areas near villages, putting local people in danger,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch. “Saudi Arabia and other coalition members—and the supplier, the U.S.—are flouting the global standard that rejects cluster munitions because of their long-term threat to civilians.”

The Houthis called on the United Nations on Saturday to seek an end to the air strikes which they described as blatant aggression against the country.

The air strikes and fighting between the Houthis and forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, now based in Riyadh, has worsened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, prompting aid agencies to also call for a halt to the bombing.

A video with no audio uploaded to YouTube on April 17 by the pro-Houthi September 21 YouTube channel shows numerous objects with parachutes slowly descending from the sky. Two local residents of al-Safraa told HRW that about 5,000 people normally live in the village. They said they witnessed airstrikes in the area on April 27 in which bombs were delivered by parachute. Human Rights Watch was unable to determine whether they saw another attack using CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons or one using other types of bombs.

The World Health Organization says that airstrikes and fighting between Houthi and pro-government forces has made aid deliveries difficult. At least 1,244 people had died and another 5,044 injured since March 19, the WHO said.