Yemen's Houthi rebels committed war crimes since truce expired – UN
'We are gravely concerned for the safety and security of civilians'
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels committed war crimes since a peace agreement expired last month, the United Nations human rights chief said Friday, citing sniper attacks and shelling.
The country’s warring parties failed to renew a UN-brokered truce deal that ended in October, squashing hopes of some Yemenis for a border pact that would ease economic woes and prolong relative calm after more than seven years of brutal fighting.
Since then, the UN human rights office said it verified three incidents of shelling in government controlled-area that killed two civilians and wounded others, as well as three incidents of sniper shootings attributed to Houthi rebels.
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"We are gravely concerned for the safety and security of civilians," said Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.
"The deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international law and constitutes a war crime.”
The Houthi movement made no immediate comment.
A U.N. spokesperson also said Friday that efforts were continuing to revive the truce deal between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi group.
The conflict – widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran – has killed tens of thousands, devastated Yemen's economy, and left millions hungry.