Sana'a, Yemen, August 9, 2018 — The IRC is appalled to hear of reports today that a Saudi- and Emirati-led coalition attack on targets in Saada has hit a school bus killing and wounding mostly children under ten among others.
Frank Mc Manus, Yemen Country Director at the International Rescue Committee said:
“Today should be the day the world wakes up to the atrocities going on in Yemen. The last two weeks have seen strikes by conflict actors destroying essential civilian infrastructure across Yemen, but a bus full of school children cannot be viewed as mere collateral damage. Even wars have rules, but rules without consequences mean nothing. If there is any chance of innocent lives, especially those of children, being lost in an attack, that attack should not take place. Too many civilians have been caught up in this brutal war, and we cannot stand by and let this become the status quo. The international community must demand action—investigations into these attacks must be undertaken and the perpetrators must be held to account.”