Oxfam reaction to Human Rights Council Resolution on Yemen

In reaction to the Human Rights Council's adoption of the resolution on Yemen in Geneva today, Sajjad Mohammad Sajid, Oxfam Country Director in Yemen said:

"Since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, all parties have been accused of committing serious violations of human rights and the laws of war. It is shameful that members of the Human Rights Council prioritized perceived geo-strategic interests above the need for accountability and failed today to establish an international independent mechanism to investigate breaches of these laws. The approved proposal does not guarantee that all sides in the current conflict will be held to account. This is a missed opportunity to send a clear message to all parties in Yemen that they should respect their legal obligations to protect civilians, and that future violations will not be tolerated.

Oxfam is on the ground working across front-lines and is seeing first-hand the ever deepening humanitarian disaster and the terrible toll it is taking on civilians in Yemen. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, since the escalation of the armed conflict on 26 March, their Yemen Country Office has recorded 7217 civilian casualties; this number includes 2,355 civilians killed, and 4,862 wounded."