UN Condemns Houthi Violations Against Yemen’s Children

 In this July 27, 2018, photo, children sit at a camp for displaced persons where they took shelter, in Marib, Yemen (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this July 27, 2018, photo, children sit at a camp for displaced persons where they took shelter, in Marib, Yemen (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
TT

UN Condemns Houthi Violations Against Yemen’s Children

 In this July 27, 2018, photo, children sit at a camp for displaced persons where they took shelter, in Marib, Yemen (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
In this July 27, 2018, photo, children sit at a camp for displaced persons where they took shelter, in Marib, Yemen (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen signed Monday in Riyadh a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations to strengthen the protection of children affected by the armed conflict in Yemen.

Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, who signed the memorandum on behalf of the UN, condemned Houthis for being involved in grave violations against children and for doing nothing to protect them.

She said the annual report issued by her office to the UN Security Council contains important figures over the past years, where no action to protect children has been taken, stressing that due to their grave violations, including murder and child-recruitment, Houthis were put on list A of the report.

Gamba affirmed that this MoU is the first of its kind around the world.

“Now, we seek to exert great efforts over the next two months. We will jointly establish limited activities over a long term, including a joint training and spreading knowledge about the child protection,” she said.

The UN official added she is convinced that the coalition led by Saudi Arabia will play a significant role in serving the great purpose of keeping children away from the armed conflict.

Prince Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Turki Bin Abdulaziz affirmed his hopes of close cooperation in regards to this memorandum with the United Nations, especially that it serves a “noble cause” that “we should always aim to implement and improve.”

For his part, the permanent representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdallah AlMoullimi, who attended the ceremony, said that his country is working on bringing attention on the Houthi violations and to uncover Iran’s interferences in Yemen.

Meanwhile, officials from the legitimate government in Yemen praised Operations Determination Storm and Renewal of Hope, kicked off by Saudi Arabia four years ago to support Yemenis against the Houthi coup.

Yemen's Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh said the Decisive Storm was a historical Arab decision that won over the Houthi Iranian sectarian agenda.

He made the remarks in a statement to Saba referring to the military operation launched by Saudi-led Arab Coalition against the rebel militia in March 2015.

Meanwhile in Aden, Prime Minister Ma'een Abdulmalik met Monday with head of the European Union's Delegation in Yemen Antonia Calvo and discussed the political, economic and security developments in Yemen.

Abdulmalik stressed the necessity of implementing the UN-sponsored Stockholm Agreement and forcing Houthi militia to withdraw from the city of Hodeidah and its ports soon as stipulated by the redeployment plan.

He also called on the International Community to exert more pressure on Houthis who failed to show seriousness on implementing the agreement after passing more than 100 days on declaring it.



Army Defuses Tensions in Northern Lebanon Caused by Syrian Coast Unrest

Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
TT

Army Defuses Tensions in Northern Lebanon Caused by Syrian Coast Unrest

Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)

The Lebanese army defused on Sunday tensions in the northern city of Tripoli sparked by the clashes along the Syrian coast.

The army deployed in areas separating Sunni and Alawite neighborhoods in Tripoli overnight on Friday to contain any tensions from the violence in neighboring Syria.

Angry protesters had taken to the streets of Tripoli after news broke out over the stabbing of a minor from Syria’s Idlib. Lebanon’s National News Agency later reported that the minor was actually from Lebanon.

Soon after, news circulated on social media that Ahmed Bitar, a man from the predominantly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen in Tripoli, was behind the attack.

The protesters blocked the Baqqar road leading to Jabal Mohsen, while tensions were high in the Qobbeh neighborhood, as the people called for the arrest of the perpetrator.

The tensions boiled over into a gunfight, sparking panic among the people. The army soon deployed heavily in the area and restored calm.

The Supreme Alawite Council warned in a statement that “civil peace and security stability were a red line.” It revealed that Bitar had complied with calls to turn himself over to the authorities.

“We fully trust that the security forces will carry out their duties to reveal the circumstances of the crime and uncover the truth,” it said.

“Tripoli has been and will continue to be a model of national unity that will shun strife,” it added.

A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the tensions in Tripoli were stoked by social media posts. No foreign meddling or political incitement were behind them.

The army moved quickly to contain the tensions, deploying heavily in Tripoli. Sunni and Alawite figures in the city were contacted to help defuse the tensions and prevent the unrest in Syria from spilling over into Lebanon.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrian Alawites sought refuge in northern Lebanon to escape the violence along the coast.

Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Syrians were entering through illegal crossings and heading to predominantly Alawite villages or Jabal Mohsen.

No exact figures have been tallied because the people are entering through illegal crossings, they added.

Media reports and local sources have said over 10,000 people have entered from Syria in the past three days.