Amid Uptick in Bombings and Civilian Deaths, US Sells More Arms to Saudis

The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed military coalition has resumed bombing in Yemen as an uneasy, five-month-long ceasefire gives way to an escalation in fighting that puts besieged civilians at even greater risk.

According to news outlets, there were “immediate reports of civilian deaths” after coalition airstrikes in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a on Tuesday. 

Citing medics at the scene, Reuters reports that the death toll hit 13 and that “[m]ost of the casualties were women working at the al-Aqel potato chip factory in the Nahda district of the capital.”

The Guardian adds:

And after peace talks unraveled on Saturday, coalition warplanes bombed Al Madeed marketplace in the district of Nehm, about 35 miles northeast of Sana’a, on Sunday. The New York Times reported that 18 Yemeni civilians were killed in that attack. 

“They targeted only civilians,” pharmacist and eyewitness Sadam al-Othari told the Times. “There wasn’t a single gunman or military vehicle around.”

According to figures released this week by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), at least 6,500 people have been killed—more than half of them civilians—and 32,000 injured in the 500 days since the coalition began its bombing campaign.

Middle East Eye reports:

What’s more, Saudi Arabia and its military coalition have been the target of criticism from both the United Nations and Human Rights Watch for alleged breaches of international humanitarian law that many say amount to war crimes.