Cartoon by Mikail Çiftçi

Hold to account those who regard heinous acts of violence against children as acceptable

Kevin Watkins
Chief Executive, Save the Children UK

The Saudi Emirati-led coalition’s decision to investigate the attack in Yemen’s Sa’ada province which left dozens of children dead lacks credibility (“Saudi-led coalition to probe deadly Yemen strike”, August 10). Both the scale and the circumstances of the tragedy, a missile strike on a school bus in a crowded market, demand the independent investigation called for by the UN secretary-general.

None of the parties to the conflict in Yemen have honoured their responsibility to protect civilians. But last week’s strike plumbed new depths — as did the coalition’s response. Senior military and political leaders have variously maintained that the air strike “conformed to international and humanitarian law”, and that the civilian victims constituted “collateral damage” in pursuit of a “legitimate military operation”.

All of which raises some fundamental questions. Are the coalition’s political and military leaders familiar with the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statutes which define their responsibilities to protect civilians, and prosecute those who commit potential war crimes? Or do they feel they can violate international laws with impunity, safe in the knowledge their arms suppliers and political allies will turn a blind eye?

There is a legal term that any investigation into this latest tragedy should consider. “Depraved indifference”, in the US legal codes, refers to acts that are so callous, wantonly reckless and lacking in moral concern for the welfare or safety of others as to warrant investigation for criminal liability. The Saudi-led coalition’s consistent failure to protect Yemeni children since the conflict escalated in 2015 would certainly appear to meet the depraved indifference test. What needs to be established now is whether a possible war crime has been committed.

What is happening in Yemen is part of a wider culture of impunity surrounding the perpetrators of heinous acts of violence against children in armed conflict — a culture on display from Syria and Iraq to the Rohingya crisis and South Sudan. It is time for those who believe in international law to stand up and hold to account those who see children as targets or as acceptable “collateral damage”.