MSF Releases Report on Saudi-Led Coalition's Attacks on Hospitals in Yemen

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The statement added that the "unjustified and unprovoked" attacks were groundless and had not only killed and injured people, but also resulted in the suspension of the MSF's activities in the crisis-torn country.

"After conducting internal investigations, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is releasing two reports describing attacks on medical facilities it runs or supports in Yemen. The two attacks combined resulted in the death of 20 people, most of them patients, and wounded 32 others. Both attacks were acknowledged by the Saudi-led coalition (SLC). The attacks were on a hospital in Abs, Hajjah governorate on 15 August 2016, and on the MSF clinic in Taiz city on 2 December 2015," the statement said.

"The internal investigations of the Abs and Taiz incidents also conclude that the neutrality and impartiality of the facilities had not been compromised before the attacks and therefore there was no legitimate reason to attack them. The details of the incidents documented in these two reports are unambiguous indicators of how war is being waged in Yemen, where there is an utter disregard for civilian life by all warring parties," the statement said.

Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Houthi rebels, the country’s main opposition force, since 2014.

Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request despite a ceasefire agreed shortly before that. The coalition has been accused by the United Nations and humanitarian organizations of bombing civilians, killing hundreds of children.