Humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) announced that it will be withdrawing staff from hospitals in northern Yemen, following yet another Saudi-coalition air strike on one of its buildings.
19 people were killed in Monday’s airstrike, marking the fourth time MSF buildings have been hit and the deadliest attack to date.
“Coalition officials repeatedly state that they honour international humanitarian law, yet this attack shows a failure to control the use of force and to avoid attacks on hospitals full of patients,” said the organisation. “MSF is neither satisfied nor reassured by the Saudi-led coalition's statement that this attack was a mistake.”
“Given the intensity of the current offensive and our loss of confidence in the Saudi-led coalition's ability to prevent such fatal attacks, MSF considers the hospitals in Saada and Hajjah governorates unsafe for both patients and staff.”
“This latest incident shows that the current rules of engagement, military protocols and procedures are inadequate in avoiding attacks on hospitals, and need revision and changes”, says Joan Tubau, General Director of MSF. “MSF asks the Saudi-led coalition and the governments supporting the coalition, particularly the US, UK and France, to ensure an immediate application of measures geared to substantially increase the protection of civilians.”
The Saudi led coalition responded by saying,
"The coalition to support the legitimacy in Yemen expressed its deep regret over MSF decision to evacuate its staff from six hospitals in northern Yemen."
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