Yemen's rights groups strongly condemn US drone attacks

5/9/2012 -

Yasser Ezzi

Alsahwah.net-Yemeni rights group have strongly denounced US drones attacks against Yemeni areas, calling the Yemeni government to respect safety and security of its citizens.

Seyaj Organization for Childhood Protection (Seyaj) has stated that four children were killed in Rada'a by US drone attacks, demanding the Yemeni government to investigate the event.

In a statement, it called the government to shoulder responsibilities toward its citizens, emphasizing that US drones committed extrajudicial killing in Rada'a, Abyan, Shabwah and other governorates.

Seyaj quoted its volunteers in Rada'a as saying that the four children were killed in an air-strike that targeted a vihilce in Sarar of Rada town.  

It also  demanded the Yemeni and US government to shoulder their humanitarian responsibilities, compensate families of the victims, treat the wounded ones and order security and military services to avoid attacking civilians.


Hood Organization for Rights and Freedoms strongly slammed "silence" of the Yemeni government toward the attacks, accusing it of collision with "crimes committed against Yemenis."

It further called for apologizing for the civisms, compensate them and amend wrong policies that led to such crimes against civilians.

Tribal sources had said that two unmanned drones killed on Sunday 13 civilians in Rada'a town of al-Baidha governorate, affirming that three other civilians were seriously wounded and that they were taken to hospital.

They spelt out that t he drones raided two vehicles, pointing out that two women were killed.

Al-Qaeda chief in Rada'a, Abdul-Rauf al-Dhahab was not existed inside the vehicles, the sources added.

According to the sources, three US drones flew over Walad Rabia area located in Rada, singling out that they raised fears among population.

Local sources cited that tribal leaders and figures held a meeting to discuss strikes launched against their areas.

Many Al-Qaeda militants including senior leaders have been targeted by US drones in Yemeni southern and southeastern regions in the past months. However, US drones some times miss its target and kill civilians, tribal sources say.

Earlier this year, a group of militants occupied Rada and declared it as an Islamic emirate and they left later after tribal mediations managed to release Al-Qaeda prisoners.

Yemen's Assembly approved summoned the Interior Minister Abdul-Kader Qahtan to ask him about US drone attacks in Rada'a and other areas.

In a session held on Tuesday, members of parliament demanded to investigate US drone strikes that targeted "innocent persons" under pretexts of fighting al-Qaeda.

Deputy speaker of parliament Himiar Al-Ahmar said he contacted the interior and local administration ministers to discuss circumstances of the event and measures taken to tackle such attacks.

A lawmaker, Sadeq Al-Basha, strongly criticized the attitude of the Yemeni government toward the drone strikes, affirming that extrajudicial killing is prohibited in all laws and legislations.

Abdulkarim Shaiban, a lawmaker, called for taking serious attitude towards "US military interventions" in Yemen, urging members of parliament to not stand idly.