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Incident on 2 June 2015 [+] Print this page

Location: Sa’da city’s main commercial street, south and south-east of the old city, Sa'adah district, Sa'dah Governorate [+]

Country: Yemen [+]

Violation types: Violation of International Law [+]

Location


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This incident took place in Sa’da city’s main commercial street, south and south-east of the old city, Sa'adah district, Sa'dah Governorate, Yemen [+]

Description


According to Amnesty International: "VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW [...] Amnesty International investigated 13 airstrikes which took place during May, June and July in and around Sa’da governorate. These strikes killed some 100 civilians - including 59 children and 22 women – and injured a further 56, including 18 children. Amnesty International found that strikes which killed and injured civilians and destroyed civilian property and infrastructure were frequently disproportionate or indiscriminate and in some instances they appeared to have directly targeted civilians or civilian objects. Such attacks violate international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes. [...] The most used air-launched explosive weapons in the geographical area covered in this report are US-designed and US-produced general purpose bombs from the Mark/MK 80 series, remains of which have been found by Amnesty International researchers at the locations of Saudi Arabia-led coalition airstrikes, notably: MK 82 (also known as BLU-111/B) 500 lbs (about 225 kg), containing some 192 lbs (about 87 kg) of Tritonal High Explosive. MK 83 (also known as BLU-110B/B) 1,000 lbs (about 453 kg) containing some 445 lbs (about 201 kg) of Tritonal High Explosive. MK 84 (also known as BLU-117) 2,000 lbs (about 907 kg) containing some 945 lbs (about 428 kg) of Tritonal High Explosive, the largest of the MK 80 series bombs. Two types of air-launched cluster bombs, internationally banned, have also been used, remains of which have been found by Amnesty International researchers at the locations of Saudi Arabia-led coalition airstrikes: US-produced CBU-87 bombs, each carrying 202 BLU-97 cluster submunitions. US-produced CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon, each carrying 10 Blue-108 Sensor Fuzed submunitions canisters, each containing four submunitions. [...] Sa’da city’s main commercial street, south and south-east of the old city, has been repeatedly targeted by coalition airstrikes and largely destroyed, killing and injuring shopkeepers and shoppers and depriving of their livelihoods hundreds of families who used to make a living from their trade there. On the morning of 2 June, one of these airstrikes left seven dead and more than a dozen injured among shop-owners, shoppers and passers-by. Ahsan Ahmad al-Hamis, the owner of a shop selling agricultural products, described the strike to Amnesty International: “It was about 10.30am when the strike happened. Abdulaziz Jihad Ahsan, who was 20 and had a small shop selling electrical spare parts for cars, was killed on the spot. Abdulmalik Ahmad Nasser, who worked in my shop, was also killed on the road near the shop. Another one who was killed on the street was Hamud Yahia Sayed Zalzal. In addition to them I saw three other dead men whose names I don’t know”. Abdelsalam Ahmed Nasser told Amnesty International that his brother Abdelmalik Ahmed Nasser, 32, was a father of four young children: “It was about 10.30am and I had gone to buy some car parts when a shop owner ran over to me and told me: ‘come quickly, your brother is injured’. There were no ambulances. We had to wait half an hour. We took him to hospital but he died. He had shrapnel injuries in his abdomen. He had been about 30 meters away from the explosion” Abdulaziz Jihad Ahsan’s brother Shihab told Amnesty International that Abdulaziz was struck in the head by shrapnel and died instantly; and that another brother, Yasser, was also injured in the strike. Witnesses told researchers that another airstrike a day earlier on an aluminium shop on the same street had caused further casualties.” [+]

Perpetrator units

Name Other Names Classification
Operation Restoring Hope [+] Arab Coalition
Arab Coalition Forces
Arab Coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen
Gulf Arab coalition
Hope Restoration Operation
Joint Forces
Operation Renewal of Hope
Operation Storm of Resolve
Saudi-led Arab Coalition
Saudi-led Coalition
coalition forces
operations Renewal of Hope
Air Force [+]
Army [+]
Joint Operation [+]
Military [+]
Navy [+]

Sources

List of all sources used to evidence the data in this record Click the "+" symbol next to every data point in the record to see the sources used for that data point.

Publication Date Publisher Publication Title Access Date Archive Link
07 October 2015 Amnesty International BOMBS FALL FROM THE SKY DAY AND NIGHT': CIVILIANS UNDER FIRE IN NORTHERN YEMEN 21 January 2021