Early morning of 12th June 2015, Saudi led coalition airstrikes hit a 2500 year old protected UNESCO heritage site, residential homes in the Al Qasimi area of Old Sana in Yemen, killing at least 5 civilians including one woman and one child.
This is Amnesty International's report:
On 12 June, five members of the ‘Abdelqader family were killed in another bombardment which destroyed four adjacent houses in the Old City in Sana’a. The strike would have likely caused many more casualties had many of the neighbours not left the area after a powerful airstrike targeted the nearby Defence Ministry compound (200 metres to the south) two days earlier.
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition spokesman Brigadier-General Ahmed al-‘Assiri denied responsibility for the strike but a fragment of the bomb recovered from the rubble of the houses shows that it comes from a 2,000 lb (900 kg) bomb, the same type which has been widely used by the coalition in various parts of Yemen.
The Old City, Sana’a (Sana’a governorate), 12 June 2015
A coalition strike in the Old City of Sana’a destroyed four adjacent houses on 12 June at 2AM killing the five members of the Abdelqader family who were inside: Hassan Yahya Abdelqader, his wife Ummat al-Malik, his brother Rashad and son Abdullah and his cousin Shawqi. Hassan’s brother, Mohamed, who lives nearby, told Amnesty International:
“We heard a plane flying over us at around 1:50AM. So my family and I hid under the staircase, the safest place in the house. At 2AM we heard an explosion. A few minutes later Shawqi’s mother called me and asked me to go to check on him. He had called her from under the rubble asking for help ... I ran over there. With the neighbours we started to dig through the rubble with our hands. Shawqi was dead when he was pulled out of the rubble at 5AM. He was married with five-year-old twins and his wife is six months pregnant. Thirteen people live in the houses, most of them women and children, but they had left two days earlier, after another airstrike hit the Defence Military Compound [200 metres to the south].” https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/07/yemen-airstrike-analysis-shows-saudi-arabia-killed-scores-of-civilians/
This is Mwatana's report of the incident (listed as 13 June but other sources including Tweets at the time state this happened early morning on 12th June):
On the 12th May 2015, the Saudi led coalition bombed the historical town of Zabid in Hodeidah governorate of Yemen, which is listed by UNESCO as an 'outstanding archaeological and historical site' at risk. The Legal Center for Rights and Development list 60 dead (inc13 women and 8 children) and 155 injured as a result of the bombardment.
Sites damaged or destroyed included public buildings, a public highway, a busy market place, a sweet shop, restaurants, grocery stores and a residential area next to a historical mosque. The strike on the marketplace was documented as a double tap strike where jets returned to strike the rescuers.
This is HRW's report of the incident:
At about 4:15 p.m. on May 12, aircraft dropped at least five bombs on the Houthi-controlled town of Zabid, 96 kilometers (0.6 miles) south of the western port city of Hodaida, killing at least 60 civilians, including 13 women and eight children, and wounding at least 155.
Human Rights Watch examined the site on July 26. Three of the bombs had struck a three-story building in the middle of the Shagia market. The first bomb struck a sweets shop in the building. The second strike, which witnesses said took place about five minutes later, hit a restaurant on the building’s ground floor. The third struck the building’s second floor, causing the structure to collapse. The force of the blasts also destroyed two other buildings housing another restaurant and four grocery stores.
Abdu Ahmed Thayfi, 36, a qat seller at the Shagia market, was injured in the second strike:
"I heard the first strike, and then a few minutes later, the second. I felt as if everything was spinning around me, and then it went black. I woke up and saw the muscle of my left leg torn open. My right leg bone was snapped in half. My brother Muhammad suddenly appeared and wanted to take me to the hospital, but I refused to go, because I knew they would want to amputate my leg."
Thayfi ended up having a bone transplant in his left leg and avoided an amputation.
Abdullah Amin al-Dhabi, 34, a local freelance editor, told Human Rights Watch that after hearing the explosion, he rushed to the market to find his cousin, a qat seller there:
"I saw at least 50 limbs ripped apart from the fragments of the explosion. I also saw other bodies of people I could recognize in front of the Shagia restaurant. There I saw my cousin, next to the bodies of three other people I knew: two of them were kids under the age of 12, another was a woman who used to sell bread by the door of the restaurant. Days later, we heard that neighbors were still finding the hands and heads of other victims on their roofs and their shops. The whole area stank."
Dr. Faisal Awad, chairman of the Zabid Relief Society, which led efforts to identify the dead, told Human Rights Watch that the authorities gathered 66 unidentified body parts from the marketplace.
At the same time as the strikes hit Shagia market, two bombs fell on a lemon grove about 600 meters (656 yards) from the market, and about 50 meters (54 yards) from the entrance to the home of Ahmed Bagesh, the owner of one of the restaurants destroyed in the market attack, killing nine civilians, including two women and four children. Three witnesses said that one of the two bombs did not explode, and that Houthi fighters came soon after the incident and removed the munition.
Bagesh told Human Rights Watch:
"Just as I heard the strikes on the marketplace, there were also two strikes right outside our doorway. My sister’s husband had just left our house—he had been over for a visit—and when I ran out, I found the top half of his body lying on the path by the door. The bottom half had been blown about 10 meters away."
Thabit Hamdain, 55, a qat seller at the Shagia market, told Human Rights Watch that a large public-sector textile factory about one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the market had been producing military uniforms for the Houthis, and said he suspected this was the target of the airstrike. The factory was unaffected by the airstrikes and had not been subsequently targeted by the time Human Rights Watch visited Zabid on July 26.
Hamdain noted that the day before the airstrike he recognized three mid-level Houthi commanders eating lunch in one of the restaurants in the market. Bagash, the restaurant owner, said that Houthi fighters often came to the market to buy qat and to eat at the restaurants, but they did not “hang around.” He also said there were no Houthi checkpoints near the market.
The presence of small numbers of Houthi military personnel at the market would not make the entire market a legitimate target for a bombing attack. A factory producing uniforms or others goods for the military would be a valid military target, but the workers inside would not be considered civilians directly participating in the hostilities. The coalition should conduct an investigation to determine whether the attack was unlawfully indiscriminate, whether an attack on the factory during working hours was disproportionate, and whether all feasible precautions had been taken to minimize civilian casualties.
Location: Zabid Date: 5/12/2015
Name
Gender
Age
Killed/Wounded
Ahmed Sulaiman Olian
Male
over 18
Killed
Khalil Abdu Sulaiman al-Mizgagi
Male
35
Killed
Amar Muhammad Amin al-Ahdal
Male
over 18
Killed
Bunian Ahmad Sawlah
Female
over 18
Killed
Abd al-Aziz Salem Omar Orouq
Male
30
Killed
Thabit Ahmad Qaderi
Male
over 18
Killed
Ibrahim Ahmad Hiba Makbuli
Male
over 18
Killed
Abdu Ahmad Dar
Male
over 18
Killed
Abdu Yusif Taher Marzouqi
Male
over 18
Killed
Muhammad Dawud Hakim
Male
over 18
Killed
Muhammad Izzi Abdullah Rukbi
Male
over 18
Killed
Mansour Muhammad Abdullah Mawqri
Male
over 18
Killed
Noaman Hassan Ragab
Male
over 18
Killed
Ahmed Ali Muftah Askri
Male
over 18
Killed
Ahmad Muhammad Awad Makbuli
Male
over 18
Killed
Aiman Muhammad Hassan Rami
Male
over 18
Killed
Gumala Ayash Said Derein (Uzaiti)
Female
over 18
Killed
Hassan Yahya Ismail Murahal
Male
over 18
Killed
Faisal Muharam Salman al-Shamiri
Male
over 18
Killed
Muhammad Anwar Futaini Wisabi
Male
over 18
Killed
Murad Muhammad Adam Haddi
Male
over 18
Killed
Wafa Yahya Salem Mauda Kabah
Female
over 18
Killed
Abdullah Abd al-Aziz Salem Qirshi (Orouk)
Male
3
Killed
Abdullah Abdullah Ridwan
Male
over 18
Killed
Ismail Dawud Sulaiman al-Ahdal
Male
over 18
Killed
Akram Abd al-Hamid al-Qubati
Male
30
Killed
al-Raimi al-Shaibah
Male
over 18
Killed
Bashar Hawash Daoud al-Wisabi
Male
12
Killed
BashIr Ghalib Mahdi al-Shamiri
Male
22
Killed
Bayan Ahmad Sawlah
Female
over 18
Killed
Gawad Muhammad Qaid al-Wisabi
Male
over 18
Killed
Husam Saif al-Qubati
Male
over 18
Killed
Hamoudah Wajih
Female
over 18
Killed
Salah Yahya Muhammad Ali
Male
over 18
Killed
Abd al-Hakim Muhammad Abdullah Ghalib
Male
over 18
Killed
Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Adhim Dabwan
Male
over 18
Killed
Abd al-Latif Yahya Muhammad Qurashi (Orouk)
Male
15
Killed
Fatima Salem Omar Qurashi (Orouk)
Female
30
Killed
Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Salem Qurashi (Orouk)
Male
5
Killed
Murad Faisal Muhram Salman al-Shamiri
Male
over 18
Killed
Nagib Qaid Abdu Ghalib
Male
over 18
Killed
Neima Hassan Omar Kaboub
Female
40
Killed
Haifa Abd al-Aziz Salim Qurashi (Orouk)
Female
8
Killed
Hassan Ali Qasim Marwai
Male
over 18
Killed
Waila Kamela
Female
over 18
Killed
Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Salem
Male
9
Killed
Hayfa Abd al-Aziz Salem
Female
7
Killed
Abd al-Latif Orouq
Male
18
Killed
Abdullah Bin Abdullah al-Shamiri (Bagesh)
Male
40
Killed
Faisal Muharam
Male
45
Killed
Murad Faisal Muharam
Male
12
Killed
Numan Rajab al-Khalil
Male
over 18
Killed
1st daughter of Yahya Ahmad Sawlah
Female
over 18
Killed
2nd daughter of Yahya Ahmad Sawlah
Female
over 18
Killed
Daughter of Yahya Khabah
Female
over 18
Killed
Daughter of Ayash Aziz
Female
over 18
Killed
Ibrahim (Hibah)
Male
over 18
Killed
Salah al-Shamiri
Male
over 18
Killed
Hassan Murahal
Male
35
Killed
Daughter of al-Musyab
Female
18
Killed
Abd al-Majid Muhammad Abd al-Ghani
Male
15
Wounded
Qasim Ali Qasim Akil
Male
15
Wounded
Abdullah Ahmad Abdi
Male
13
Wounded
Abdullah Salim Dawud
Male
16
Wounded
Yahya Awad Yahya Murahal
Male
15
Wounded
Khawla Salim Ali Musaib
Female
10
Wounded
Ahmad Futaini Hawis
Male
10
Wounded
Ismail Abdullah Ismail Salami
Male
15
Wounded
Bassam Muhammad Abdullah Radman
Male
14
Wounded
Zyad Rabia Muafa Galal
Male
12
Wounded
Hisham Said Ahmad Hin
Male
16
Wounded
Muhammad Abdullah Mata
Male
12
Wounded
Muhammad Ammar al-Bahr
Male
13
Wounded
Murtadha Faris Hadadi
Male
9
Wounded
Qasim Ahmad Qasim Mahwat
Male
15
Wounded
Nasim Muhammad Saghyir Talha
Male
18
Wounded
Akram Wahb Allah Hafid
Male
15
Wounded
Haitham Wahb Allah Hafid
Male
16
Wounded
Othman Muhammad Adam Saigh
Male
15
Wounded
Muhammad Ahmad Sulaiman Olian
Male
8
Wounded
Murad Kadaf Sulaiman Ashiq
Male
6
Wounded
Abdullah Abd al-Wahab al-Ahdal
Male
15
Wounded
Adil Hatim Ali Garwan
Male
12
Wounded
Ahmad Abdullah Hilal
Male
43
Wounded
Muhammad Ahmad Numari
Male
22
Wounded
Muhammad Abdu Hamza
Male
19
Wounded
Adel Hatim Ali Garwan
Male
12
Wounded
Ridhwan Abdu Ahmad Mizgagi
Male
over 18
Wounded
Hamada Ismail Futaini Kushi
Male
22
Wounded
Walid Muhammad Ali Omar Ahiaf
Male
35
Wounded
Sami Ahmad Muhammad Sulaiman Quba
Male
30
Wounded
Muhammad Fawzi Khadim al-Okli
Male
25
Wounded
Hassan Omar Ayash
Male
45
Wounded
Isam Ahmad Bahkali
Male
36
Wounded
Abdullah Sulaiman Daoud al-Wisabi
Male
25
Wounded
Asim Abd al-Ghafar Abd al-Wahab al-Maghbashi
Male
27
Wounded
Abd Al-Rahman Muhammad Badr al-Hubaishi al-Shamiri
This is a brief translation of an Almasirah TV report (video below) at that time:
The Saudi-led coalition carried out 4 raids on a popular market in the Zabid, south of Al Hodeidah, which houses a large number of local restaurants, grocery stores, super markets and khat stalls. The bombardment showered the market and nearby houses with shells, turning the streets into pools of blood and human remains. 40 people are reported dead and 56 wounded with countless missing under the rubble.
An old man appears screaming: “They killed my son in the restaurant” and another lying in a stretcher weeping “they bombed us, old people and children, they hit twice, stopped, then they bombed us twice again. Aren’t we Muslim? Why are they killing us?”
WARNING: the media below is graphic and distressing.
It is put here as evidence of war crimes, to call on the UN for an
independent inquiry, and to call on Western governments to honour the
Arms Treaty and to stop the supply of weapons to Saudi Arabia.
This is the report from the Legal Center for Rights and Development, listing names of the dead and injured and some testimonies of some of the witnesses:
On the 11th May 2015, the Saudi led coalition airstrikes targeted the historical Al Wahira Castle in Taiz, Yemen, causing considerable damage to important heritage. The airstrike was also reported to have caused damage to several homes nearby and injured up to 11 people.
This incident (and others) was included in the following daily report by The Legal Center for Rights and Development:
On May 8th 2015, the Saudi led coalition declared the whole of Sadah city, which was home to 50,000 people a military target. Up to 23 civilians were killed and a further 32 were injured across this and the neighbouring region on this day alone.
AMNESTY REPORTED:
On 8 May, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition1 issued an ultimatum to the entire populations of the northern cities of Sa’da and Marran to leave the cities within hours, declaring the cities military targets. At the time of publication of this briefing, this designation remains in place, as far as Amnesty International is aware. General Ahmad al-Asiri, a member of the Saudi Arabian armed forces and spokesperson for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition said:
“Starting today and as you all remember we have declared via media and leaflets that were dropped on Marran and Sa’da, and prior warnings to Yemeni civilians in those two cities, to get away from those cities where operations will be carried out. This warning will end at 7pm today…We have also designated Sa’da and Marran as military targets loyal to the Huthi militias and consequently the operations will cover the whole area of those two cities and thus we reiterate our call on civilians to stay away from these groups, and leave the areas under Huthi control or where the Huthis are sheltering”.
This followed news that, according to Saudi Arabian government sources, cross-border rocket attacks launched by Huthi armed groups had killed five civilians and injured 11 others in the Saudi Arabian city of Najran. Residents of Sa’da governorate told Amnesty International that leaflets were dropped by coalition aircrafts warning the entire civilian population to leave by 7pm that evening. The following day, in a further statement, the coalition spokesperson suggested that in fact the coalition may have even treated the entire Sa’da (governorate) region as a military target.
Treating an entire city or region as a military target, even if there are military objectives located within the area, violates the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks. International humanitarian law stipulates that ‘effective advance warning shall be given of attacks which may affect the civilian population, unless circumstances do not permit’. However, the coalition’s warning was not effective. It was vague and overbroad, encompassing two entire cities with tens of thousands of civilian residents. The later statement appeared to suggest that its geographical scope extended to the entire region. Without electricity, most residents had no access to television, and the leaflets dropped by coalition aircraft could not possibly reach all residents.
Even had all affected residents received the warning in time, it would have been unrealistic to expect tens of thousands of civilians to flee within the timeframe – a few hours – given the shortage of fuel and transport in the area. In addition, previous coalition airstrikes targeting vehicles travelling on roads out of Sa’da governorate (including towards Sana’a, the most likely direction of travel for civilians fleeing Sa’da governorate) may have discouraged some residents from leaving the city of Sa’da for fear of such attacks. The coalition’s ultimatum to the civilian population to leave Sa’da governorate (and Marran) was not accompanied by any reassurance that they would not be at risk of attacks while travelling or designation of safe routes.
In any case, warnings do not release an attacker from the prohibition of directly attacking civilians or civilian objects or from the obligation to take other necessary precautions to spare civilians. Civilian homes do not become military objectives only by virtue of their inhabitants having been warned. By the same token, warnings do not diminish the attacker’s obligation to weigh expected collateral damage against the anticipated military advantage and make sure the impact on civilian objects is not disproportionate.
The daily report by the Legal Center for Rights and Development lists 13 civilians killed and 17 injured in Saada province that day as well as 10 killed and 15 injured in Al-Jawf province which lies next to Saada. In addition, in the area of Saada, a religious shrine, communications networks, residential neighbourhoods, government sevice buildings, a school, a bakery and a public marketplace were also destroyed.
Mwatana reported a lady killed and a child injured when a house was bombed that day in Al-Rabea village on that day, Sahaar District, which is 12 kms north-west of Saada city.
