Saudi Arabia condemns adding Arab coalition to UN’s blacklist

CAIRO – 7 October 2017: Saudi Arabia Ambassador to the UN, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, condemned the UN’s draft version of its annual report on Friday. The report blacklisted Saudi-led coalition for violations against children during Yemen war.

Al-Mouallami said that Houthi militants and forces loyal to former president of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh are the responsible for the casualties in Yemen.

“Schools and hospitals are not our targets. We insist on respecting rules of engagement, and protecting children. We established a specialized unit to secure children during war, he said.

A draft report outlined by the UN blacklisted the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen along with Houthi rebels, Yemeni government forces, and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in the wake of the death and injury of 683 children in Yemen. In addition, there has been 38 attacks on schools and hospitals in 2016, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.