Alwaght- Saudi Arabia has been removed from UN blacklist of organizations violating children’s rights, because Riyadh has powerful friends including the UK and the US an also it is funding Key UN Agencies, Rob Williams says in his article published by The Guardian.
According to Williams' article, Saudi Arabia has been given a free pass to bomb schools and hospitals in Yemen, Being blacklisted by the UN, Saudi Arabia and the coalition it leads was placed in the dubious company of ISIS, the Taliban, al-Shabaab and the Lord’s Resistance, but UN's stunt to remove Al Saud regime from the list, has erased much of the UN’s credibility when it comes to defending human rights.
According to Williams, "the evidence that the Saudi-led coalition is bombing civilian areas in towns and cities in north Yemen is compelling" and "this sudden turnaround is hard to justify," unless we take this important fact into account that "Unlike the usual suspects who feature on the secretary general’s annual report on children affected by armed conflict, the Saudis have powerful friends including the UK and the US – both permanent members of the security council."
"The role of the UK in supporting the coalition is particularly troubling. Over £7bn of British weapons have been sold to Saudi Arabia since 2010. The listing of the Saudi coalition in the UN report would have made it extremely difficult for the UK to continue to resist calls for an arms embargo".
"They also have other points of influence at the UN based on their funding of key UN agencies, including Unicef– the body responsible for promoting the adoption of the UN convention of the rights of the child," Williams adds bringing another reason to justify UN's provocative action.
Wlliams believe that, under abovementioned pressures, Ban Ki-moon has turned a blind eye on Saudis' crimes, "betraying the most vulnerable people on the planet – the children whom this process is designed to protect."
"The official UN position is that the listing was removed pending an investigation. I’m concerned this investigation could become a smokescreen to cover a retreating UN office, rather than a genuine attempt to hold Saudi Arabia to account," He adds.
"The UN appears to be acting as a club for the rich and powerful, pointing the finger at rebel groups and obscure militia but covering up for the violations committed by its member states".
Last year the UN has removing Israeli regime from blacklist of child rights violators, paving the way for Saudi Arabia to follow the same way.
"For War Child, which works so hard to keep children safe in the most dangerous circumstances, it is further evidence that we cannot rely on the UN to do the right thing and stand with those most at risk," Williams said.
He went on saying that "Whether the coalition is blacklisted or not, the facts are plain. Saudi bombing is killing hundreds of children and destroying the schools and hospitals on which children rely. This bombing must stop and other avenues explored to bring peace to Yemen."
Yemen has been since March 26, 2015 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led coalition.
Nearly 9,900 Yemeni have been killed during the illegal aggression, with the vast majority of them being innocent civilians including women and children.
Backed by international powers, Riyadh launched the attack on Yemen in a bid to restore power to fugitive president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to the Saudi regime.
The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many.
Concluding his article, Williams called on the UK to immediately curtail its supporting role for Saudi-led military campaign.
"It is time for the UK to withdraw its support from this coalition, to ban sales of arms to Saudi Arabia, and to stand up for the international humanitarian laws it has committed itself to".
"The British government claims its advisers are working with the Saudi airforce to make sure that civilian casualties are avoided. The evidence shows that this strategy is clearly not working".
