Saudi-led coalition 'back on UN blacklist' for killing Yemen children

The leaked blacklist reportedly named the coalition for killing and maiming children in Yemen, noting that it has put in place measures to improve child protection.

"In Yemen, the coalition's actions objectively led to the listing for the killing and maiming of children, with 683 child casualties attributed to this party, and, as a result of being responsible for 38 verified incidents, for attacks on schools and hospitals during 2016," the draft explanation of the blacklist said.

"The coalition is included in section B of Annex I, as it has put in place measures during the reporting period aimed at improving the protection of children," it added.

The UN's 2016 report into violations against children named Saudi Arabia on the blacklist, only to be removed a few days later following pressure from Riyadh.

The report said that the Saudi-led alliance was accountable for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen in 2015 – a claim that Riyadh described as "wildly exaggerated".

The Saudi-led alliance was accountable for 60% of child deaths and injuries in Yemen in 2015

Riyadh threatened to withdraw funding for the UN and urged its allies to do the same, causing the international body to backtrack on its report.

Save the Children on Wednesday welcomed the unconfirmed report, saying in a statement: "All the parties to Yemen’s war will now be named for violations that include recruiting child soldiers, bombing schools and hospitals, and killing and maiming children".

Rights groups have urged the UN put Saudi Arabia back on the blacklist for violating children's rights in Yemen.

More than 10,000 people have been killed and 47,700 wounded since Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened to back the internationally-recognised government in March 2015.

The UN has called Yemen "the largest humanitarian crisis in the world".

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