UN accused Saudi Arabia in deaths of children in Yemen
The Saudi Arabia-led military coalition was responsible for an "unacceptably high" number of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year, according to a draft United Nations report.
The review of children and armed conflict seen by Al Jazeera on Thursday said the United Nations verified 1,340 casualties and attributed 683 - or 51 percent - to attacks carried out by the Saudi-led coalition.
Houthi rebels were responsible for killing or wounding 414 children with al-Qaeda and ISIL blamed for the rest. The study found 502 Yemeni children were killed and 838 wounded in total in attacks.
It said nearly three-quarters of air strikes on schools, 38, and hospitals, 52, were carried out by the Saudi-led alliance.
"We call on all sides to avoid any civilian casualties and particularly that of children. And in Yemen, we particularly call on all sides to permit humanitarian access because the situation there is deeply concerning," Jonathan Allen, deputy UK ambassador to the UN, told Al Jazeera.
Source: Al Jazeera
