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Civilian Deaths in Yemen May Amount to ‘War Crimes’, Says Amnesty

But some Yemenis now fear that the coalition’s desire for a knock-out blow on the battlefield may trump chances of a compromise that could piece back together the shattered state and spare the ancient capital Sanaa from a devastating showdown.

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The coalition has denied targeting civilians.

The group went on to dislodge President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s internationally-recognized government, which has been exiled in the Saudi capital of Riyadh since February.

The Yemen’s Hodeidah port was seriously damaged and closed after the airstrikes of the Arab Coalition against Houthi and army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Additionally, the report alleges that both pro-government forces and Houthi rebels have used inaccurate area fire weapons, such as Grad rockets, in densely populated areas. It noted around eight children have been killed or wounded in the war every day. Children account for one quarter of the officially counted casualties so far.

Nearly 10 million children – 80 per cent of the country’s under-18 population – are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

Survivors face severe shortages of food, clean drinking water and health care.

Amnesty worldwide says Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most prolific executioners, along with China, Iran, Iraq and the United States.

According to the Amnesty global, Saudi Arabia and its allies have killed at least 2,000 civilians during their air strikes against the Houthis since March. On July 24, for example, coalition airplanes repeatedly struck two residential compounds of the Mokha Steam Power Plant. We are not aware of any Coalition members having done so. He goes to say that “families and children are going to bed not knowing where their next meal is coming from”.

“This indicates that the Yemeni people reject the Houthis and are against the coup”.

In addition to growing numbers of people left dead and injured by combat, the conflict has been marked by the spread of rampant hunger and disease as crucial infrastructure is smashed and only small amounts of humanitarian aid are able to enter the country.

Officials said the latest raids destroyed the port’s four cranes and also hit warehouses, bringing work to a halt.

Yemen relies on imports, but a near-total blockade led by Saudi Arabia has slowed shipments to the war-torn Arabian Peninsula country to a trickle.

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The United Nations has raised Yemen to its highest level humanitarian crisis, placing it alongside emergencies in South Sudan, Syria and Iraq. Recent reports indicate that the loyalist forces captured intelligence headquarters in the city and also command a mountaintop nearby that they had captured earlier.

Yemeni children stand amid the rubble of buildings targeted in a Saudi airstrike on the capital Sana’a