UN chief takes Saudis off blacklist for harming Yemen's kids

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s government off a global list of parties whose actions have harmed children in conflict, a move that drew immediate protests Monday from human rights groups.

U.N. chief’s annual report to Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict released Monday removed coalition from a relatively new list of government forces and armed groups “that have put in place measures ... aimed at improving protection of children.”

Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government is battling Houthi Shiite rebels and ir allies. Houthis have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since September 2014, and ir vance across Arab world’s poorest country brought Saudi-led coalition into war in March 2015.

Virginia Gamba, U.N. special representative for children in armed conflict, told a news conference launching report that secretary-general me decision to remove Saudis from “”blacklist" following “ sustained, significant decrease in killing and maiming due to airstrikes."

Gamba ted that about five years ago re were about 1,700 child casualties in Yemen due to airstrikes, compared to 171 last year. She stressed that with casualties continuing, U.N. monitoring of a memorandum with Saudis on ending child deaths and injuries will continue, and failure to implement it could put Saudi Arabia back on list next year.

Jo Becker, Human Rights Watch’s children’s rights vocacy director, accused secretary-general of ding a new level of shame to his ‘list of shame’ by removing Saudi-led coalition and igring U.N.’s own evidence of continued grave violations against children.”

rianne Lapar, director of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, an international vocacy group, said that by removing Saudi-led coalition, which also includes United Arab Emirates, “ Secretary-General sends mess that powerful actors can get away with killing children.”

She called for an independent and transparent assessment of process of delisting coalition, “to ensure that all violators are held to same standard, matter who y or ir friends are.” Gamba replied in response to a question on wher Saudi Arabia offered U.N. any incentives to get off list, “absolutely t.”

In 2016, n secretary-general Ban Ki-moon removed Saudi-led coalition from “blacklist” of government forces that committed grave violations against children previous year following a vehement protest from Saudi Arabia. Guterres has ded a new list of government forces and armed groups that have taken measures to improve situation of children, which Saudis were put on.

Houthis remain on U.N. “list of shame” for failing to put in place measures to improve protection of children though secretary-general Guterres said in report that he is encourd by ongoing U.N. talks with rebel group “to end and prevent violations for which y are listed.”