Yemen

In Yemen, six parties are listed for grave violations against children. Despite a reduction of violence since the December 2018 Stockholm Agreement, hostilities between the Houthis and the Saudi/Emirati-led coalition (SELC) continued in Hodeidah, compounding an already dire humanitarian situation. An analysis by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) found that civilian casualties in Hajjah and Taiz alone have more than doubled since the Hodeidah ceasefire and Stockholm Agreement came into effect, with 164 and 184 people killed respectively. On March 25, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG-CAAC) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Force Commander of the SELC to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict in Yemen. The MoU foresees the development of a program of activities to strengthen prevention and protection measures for children in Yemen by May 25, 2019. On March 26, a coalition airstrike hit a hospital supported by Save the Children outside of Saada, killing eight people, including five children, and wounding several others. The UN Security Council should:

• Building upon the recently signed MoU between the SRSG-CAAC and the SELC, call for the signing of a time-bound action plan to end and prevent grave violations, as the formal path for delisting from the annexes of the SG’s annual report on children and armed conflict;
• Call on the SG to list all parties that deserve so in Section A of the annexes of his annual report for all relevant violations, including the SELC for killing and maiming and attacks on schools and hospitals;
• Call on all parties to end restrictions on humanitarian access, including for the SELC to immediately reopen all ports and airports, and lift bureaucratic restrictions and delays on commercial imports;
• Demand all parties to conflict to respect the Hodeidah ceasefire, and to take credible steps towards the signing of a nationwide ceasefire to end the suffering of children and other civilians affected by armed conflict;
• Call on the Government of Yemen to implement the roadmap signed in December 2018, which aims at revitalizing the 2014 action plan between the Government and the UN to end and prevent child recruitment and use, and urge all other parties to conflict that have not signed an action plan to do so without delay.

The United Kingdom is the lead country on Yemen. Peru chairs the 2140 Sanctions Committee.

This information is based on Watchlist’s Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Update: April 2019.

Year listed: 2011
Action Plans signed: Yemen Armed Forces – recruitment and use of children (May 2014)
Sanctions Committee: 2140 Sanctions Committee (Yemen)
Secretary-General’s reports on CAAC in Yemen: 2013
Security Council Working Group conclusions on Yemen: 2013