At least 279 children were killed and 402 injured since the Saudi led military attacks in Yemen began on 26 March 2015. That is four times those killed in 2014, when 74 children died and 244 were injured in the civil war between Houthi rebels and government forces before the Saudi intervention.
So far this year, 318 children are being used to man check point or carry arms, up from 156 last year. “The violence in Yemen has not only devastated the lives of millions of children, but is creating terrifying, long-term consequences for their future,” UNICEF, the agency for children said today.
Earlier in the day, representatives of Houthi rebels arrived at UN sponsored peace talks in Geneva, joining delegates from almost all warring groups including those supporting the Saudi military intervention.
Endorsing the talks, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, “Today, Yemen’s very existence hangs in the balance. While parties bicker, Yemen burns.”
Since May, the fighting has killed more than 2,600 people – half of them civilians. It has destroyed schools, hospitals and ancient cultural heritage sites.
“In Yemen’s case, the ticking clock is not a timepiece, it is a time bomb. The fighting is giving new strength to some of the world’s most ruthless terrorist groups,” he warned. “The region simply cannot sustain another open wound like Syria and Libya. We must find a way to end the suffering and begin the long road to peace.”
However, the long road to peace is still invisible. An experienced negotiator Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who is Ban’s Special Envoy on Yemen, is mediating the Geneva talks. The Houthis seem keen to find a way to a truce but their enemies are demanding major concessions, making Ahmed’s task almost impossible to achieve. Details of the talks have not been disclosed.
The Houthis captured large parts of Yemen including the capital city Sana’a last year forcing President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are reacting forcefully because they think Iran is using the Houthis, who belong to a Shiite Muslim sect, as proxies to weaken Sunni Muslim power in the Arabian peninsula.
The Saudi military is leading a coalition of Arab nations to conduct intense bombing raids all across Yemen but with little effect so far. The Houthis continue to make gains with the help of Yemeni military units loyal to Hadi’s predecessor and former boss, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The Houthis arrived late for the Geneva meetings because Egypt, a Saudi ally, broke diplomatic protocol by denying overflight to the UN aircraft carrying them from Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, to Geneva.
So far, the hostility of the 16-country Saudi alliance and their proxies in Yemen towards the Houthis and Saleh is like a brick wall for Ahmed because the Saudis think that military strikes will defeat the Houthis, despite much evidence to the contrary.
Ban called for action on three specific points, which make sense but seem impractical right now. However, they are worth a try.
“First, a renewed humanitarian pause to allow critical assistance to reach all Yemenis in need and provide a respite for Yemenis as the holy month of Ramadan begins. Even though a pause is necessary, it is not sufficient given the obstacles to access and the scale of the destruction.”
Second, the parties should reach agreement on “local ceasefires, with the withdrawal of armed groups from cities and a pathway towards a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire throughout the country”.
Third, resumption of a peaceful and orderly political transition; as well as ensuring that the process includes more representation from other political parties, women, youth and civil society.