UN Report: Saudi Coalition Behind Most Yemen Child Casualties

67 Percent of Yemeni Children Killed in 2017 Were by Saudi Coalition

By Jason Ditzted on

The annual “Children and Armed Conflict” report from the United Nations details the deaths of Yemeni children in the Saudi-led invasion. Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming majority of the slain were killed by the Saudi-led coalition.

The UN report verified 552 children killed in 2017 in Yemen. 67% of those children, 370, were directly attributable to the Saudi coalition, predominantly the result of Saudi airstrikes. Saudi airstrikes killing civilians have been an ongoing problem since the invasion.

The report said 83 children were killed in actions by the Houthi rebels, with another 41 killed by fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed government. The others were killed by that government, international allies, and a handful by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

These UN reports on child casualties have been controversial in recent years because of their coverage of the Yemen conflict. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly demanded the UN retract previous statements, and at times they have. Making the statement fully publicly is also more difficult, with the US and Britain, who are backing the invasion, generally supporting keeping it secret.