Guterres: There is Need to Investigate War Crimes Against Humanity, in Yemen

On Oct 9, 2021

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed, Thursday, said that there is a need for accountability and to investigate the occurrence of war crimes against humanity in Yemen.

This came in a press conference held by the spokesman for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, during which he responded to journalists’ questions regarding the Secretary-General’s position on the failure of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to extend the mandate of the international team of investigators into war crimes committed in Yemen.

“Yes, the Secretary-General confirms that there is a need to implement the principle of accountability and investigate the occurrence of war crimes against humanity in this country” Dujarric said.

He added: “We clearly know that the non-issue of the extension decision today belongs to the member states, and they have the right to do so and they bear the responsibility for taking such decisions. As for us, we will continue to press for the implementation of the principle of accountability in Yemen, a country in which its citizens have repeatedly witnessed crimes against humanity.”

The United Nations Human Rights Council voted against a Dutch draft resolution calling for an extension of the mandate of the international team to investigate possible crimes in Yemen for an additional two years.

The draft resolution received the approval of 18 countries and the objection of 21 countries during a meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

In September 2017, the Human Rights Council established a team of eminent experts to investigate violations and abuses of international law committed by the parties to the conflict in Yemen, and to identify those responsible.

The international investigators have documented violations of international law and war crimes since the US-Saudi aggression launched the war on Yemen at the end of March 2015 in their four reports published so far.