Riyadh — The Saudi-led coalition said Sunday it has formed a new independent team to investigate charges of possible abuses against civilians in the conflict.
The coalition command in a brief statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency said it had formed “an independent team of experts in international humanitarian law and weapons to assess the incidents and investigate the rules of engagement.”
The coalition said the objective was to “develop a clear and comprehensive report on each incident with the conclusions, lessons learned, recommendations and measures that should be taken” to spare civilians.
“(The coalition) greatly regrets civilian casualties in Yemen,” the Coalition said on its official Twitter page.
Coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asseri said “we seriously deal with the United Nations and its agencies.”
Asseri said “we continuously train our [coalitions’] members to correctly implement rules of engagement.”
He also said a hotline has been launched with the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to protect its facilities after the coalition’s raid damaged their hospital in Haydan, Saada governorate.
