Saudi-led coalition to investigate claims in Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition said on Sunday it has launched a new independent team to investigate charges of possible abuses against civilians in the Yemen conflict.

The coalition command, in a brief statement published by the official Saudi SPA news agency, said it had formed “an independent team of experts in international humanitarian law and weapons to assess the incidents and investigate the rules of engagement.”

The coalition said the objective was to “develop a clear and comprehensive report on each incident with the conclusions, lessons learned, recommendations and measures that should be taken” to spare civilians.

“(The coalition) greatly regrets civilian casualties in Yemen,” the Saudi mission said on its official Twitter page.

A panel of United Nations experts in a report obtained by AFP on Tuesday said the coalition has carried out 119 sorties that violated humanitarian law, and it called for an international commission of inquiry.

The coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said “we seriously deal with the United Nations and its agencies” in a press conference on Sunday.

Asseri said “we continuously train our [coalitions’] members to correctly implement rules of engagement.”

He also said a hotline has been launched with the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to protect its facilities after the coalition’s raid damaged their hospital in Haydan, Saada governorate.