A "multitude of war crimes". This is the conclusion of a report by UN experts on the conflict in Yemen, released Tuesday, September 3. These acts have been committed since the beginning of the war by the various parties concerned. Torture, rape, disappearances, the use of famine or child soldiers or other events could lead to "war crimes" convictions, in case of referral to an "independent and competent tribunal".
"No one has their own hands in this conflict," one of the UN experts, Charles Garraway, told the media report.
The expert group on Yemen, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2017, identified, as far as possible, "persons who may be responsible for international crimes and has transmitted these names. "to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. The names concerned, however, remain confidential.
Many of the violations "may result in the conviction of people for war crimes if an independent and competent tribunal is seized of it," they said in a statement. Despite the lack of cooperation shown by the coalition and the Yemeni government, the panel was able to conduct more than 600 interviews with victims and witnesses.
Attacks on civilians, torture, rape, child soldiers, disappearances ...
Attacks and aerial shots that indiscriminately target the civilian population, use of famine as a weapon of war, torture, rape, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, recruitment of children under 15 years ... This report details the crimes of war allegedly committed.
Since 2014, this conflict has left tens of thousands dead, including many civilians, according to NGOs. He has plunged this country - the poorest in the Arabian Peninsula - into the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the UN.
A coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been working since 2015 to support pro-government forces against Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have captured large areas of western and northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa.
France, the United Kingdom, the United States and other "officials" in providing weapons
"Five years after the beginning of the conflict, violations against Yemeni civilians continue unabated, with total disregard for the plight of the people and a lack of international action to hold the parties to the conflict accountable," said Kamel Jendoubi, chairman of the group of experts.
UN experts also call on the international community to refrain from supplying weapons that could be used in the conflict, warning that "the legality of arms transfers by France, the United Kingdom, the States and other States remains questionable ".
"States can be held responsible for the assistance or assistance they provide for the commission of violations of international law if the conditions of complicity are met," insists the report.
The report will be presented to the Human Rights Council on 10 September at its next session (9-27 September). The group of experts wants the Council to strengthen its mandate in the fight against impunity by asking it to gather evidence of alleged violations of the current "generalized lack of accountability".
With AFP