ABHA: The Human Rights Committee of the Arab League "Charter Committee" recently concluded a field mission to Yemen in which they monitored the human rights situation in the war-torn country, with a particular emphasis on the city of Aden.

The delegation was in Yemen from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13 on the invitation of the Yemeni government. The mission sought to monitor and record violations of international humanitarian laws and serious abuses of human rights in Yemen committed by the Houthi rebel group and by forces loyal to the ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Charter agreements state that the committee has a duty to ensure that all individuals under its jurisdiction enjoy all of their rights and freedoms, without distinction on any ground. In consideration of this, the Charter Committee signed a number of agreements in recent months with Yemeni citizens in Aden and other relevant institutions regarding the rights of Yemenis, as outlined by the Charter.

The mission assessed the situation in Aden and uncovered a number of grave humanitarian tragedies that were associated with the hostilities of the recent conflict, and which resulted in the killing of many citizens and the destruction of a large number of residential, public and private buildings.

Based on the evidence acquired during the field trips and interviews, the Committee found that these violations against civilians were perpetrated by the rebel forces of the Houthi loyalists and their allies during the siege of Aden. Specifically, the mission found that such violations of international and humanitarian laws included torture, unlawful execution, arbitrary arrests and several cases of forced disappearances and forced deployment of children in the army, in addition to acts of vandalism, looting and the obstruction of humanitarian assistance to the needy in besieged areas.

The mission viewed with concern the worsening living conditions in Aden due to the halted services and destruction of public infrastructure, particularly with regard to electricity, water, health, education, sanitation and the spread of epidemics such as dengue fever. Consequently, the Charter Committee emphasized the importance of speeding up all work to restore public services for citizens, as well as those activities related to institution-building and respecting the rule of law and human rights.

The Committee also welcomed the National Independent Investigation Commission initiated by Yemen to investigate the human rights violations in the country, urging the Arab League to continue its efforts toward finding a solution to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.