The killing of civilians, mainly children, in Dahyan, northern Yemen yesterday today was truly horrifying.
Reports have shown that dozens of children were killed when an air strike hit a school bus travelling through the Dahyan market in Saada province.
Speaking from the capital Sana’a, Islamic Relief Yemen’s country director Mohammed Zulqarnain Baloch said:
‘The war in Yemen has been long and bloody but today’s carnage is truly horrifying. We call on all parties to this conflict to respect international humanitarian law and from what we’ve seen today, our messages appear to be falling on deaf ears”
“To make matters worse, my staff have been unable to leave our office in Sana’a for much of today due to air strikes near our location. This type of activity directly impedes our ability to saves lives in Yemen.”
Islamic Relief’s CEO, Naser Haghamed, said:
“I was horrified to hear of the deaths of these innocent children. All parties must respect a basic rule – civilians must be protected.”
Islamic Relief continues to do all it can to provide aid and assistance to the people of Yemen. We call on all sides to show restraint and ensure the protection of civilian lives.
Islamic Relief has been working in Yemen since 1998. Since the start of the conflict in 2015, we have been working in 19 of the country’s 22 governorates, delivering aid to many hard-to-reach areas including food aid, water and sanitation, health care, orphan and child welfare and vocational training for young people.