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Airstrikes hit M​​édecins sans Fronti​​ères​ facility in Yemen Airstrikes hit M​​édecins sans Fronti​​ères​ facility in Yemen
(about 1 hour later)
A Yemeni hospital run by Médecins sans Frontières has been hit by a Saudi-led airstrike, the latest bombing of a civilian target in the seven-month air campaign in the country. A Saudi-led coalition airstrike has hit a Médecins sans Frontières hospital facility in Yemen, the latest bombing of a civilian target in the seven-month air campaign in the country.
“MSF facility in Saada Yemen was hit by several airstrikes last night with patients and staff inside the facility,” MSF said in a tweet.“MSF facility in Saada Yemen was hit by several airstrikes last night with patients and staff inside the facility,” MSF said in a tweet.
According to Saba, Yemen’s state news agency run by the Iran-allied Houthi group, which is the Saudi coalition’s enemy, the hospital director, Dr Ali Mughli, said several people had been injured in the attack. According to a news agency run by Yemen’s anti-Saudi Houthi rebels, the hospital director, Dr Ali Mughli, said several people had been injured in the attack.
Mughli said: “The air raids resulted in the destruction of the entire hospital with all that was inside – devices and medical supplies – and the moderate wounding of several people.” Mughli was quoted as saying: “The air raids resulted in the destruction of the entire hospital with all that was inside – devices and medical supplies – and the moderate wounding of several people.”
However, MSF spokeswoman Malak Shaher told AFP there were no casualties.
.@MSF facility in #Saada #Yemen was hit by several airstrikes last night with patients & staff inside the facility. pic.twitter.com/MicfUT571V.@MSF facility in #Saada #Yemen was hit by several airstrikes last night with patients & staff inside the facility. pic.twitter.com/MicfUT571V
Saba said other airstrikes had hit a nearby girls’ school and damaged several homes. It was not immediately possible to confirm that report.
The civil war in Yemen has so far killed approximately 5,600 people, according to the World Health Organisation. The coalition is fighting the Houthis to drive them from Sana’a and other areas they captured last year, and to restore the internationally recognised president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.The civil war in Yemen has so far killed approximately 5,600 people, according to the World Health Organisation. The coalition is fighting the Houthis to drive them from Sana’a and other areas they captured last year, and to restore the internationally recognised president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Yemen, with a population of 23 million people, was the poorest country in the Arab world long before the removal of its veteran president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, after popular protests in 2011. Now it is experiencing what Oxfam calls the world’s largest “forgotten emergency”.Yemen, with a population of 23 million people, was the poorest country in the Arab world long before the removal of its veteran president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, after popular protests in 2011. Now it is experiencing what Oxfam calls the world’s largest “forgotten emergency”.
View from the roof of .@MSF hospital in #Saada, #Yemen that was hit by multiple airstrikes last night. pic.twitter.com/a7Hpf14VJMView from the roof of .@MSF hospital in #Saada, #Yemen that was hit by multiple airstrikes last night. pic.twitter.com/a7Hpf14VJM
Human rights groups have expressed concern at the mounting deaths caused by the aerial bombing and ground fighting in the country but shuttle diplomacy by a UN envoy has yet to achieve a political solution or slow the pace of combat.Human rights groups have expressed concern at the mounting deaths caused by the aerial bombing and ground fighting in the country but shuttle diplomacy by a UN envoy has yet to achieve a political solution or slow the pace of combat.
The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, previously pledged that the nine-member coalition, which includes the UAE, would “stand together until Yemen regains its Arab identity and is liberated from aggressors”.The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, previously pledged that the nine-member coalition, which includes the UAE, would “stand together until Yemen regains its Arab identity and is liberated from aggressors”.
Related: Kunduz hospital attack: how a US military ‘mistake’ left 22 deadRelated: Kunduz hospital attack: how a US military ‘mistake’ left 22 dead
The Saudis are supported by their allies, the US and Britain, which provide military equipment and intelligence support. But there is said to be growing disquiet in both the UK Foreign Office and US State Department about Riyadh’s strategy and civilian casualties.The Saudis are supported by their allies, the US and Britain, which provide military equipment and intelligence support. But there is said to be growing disquiet in both the UK Foreign Office and US State Department about Riyadh’s strategy and civilian casualties.
Aid agencies say a key issue was the Saudi blockade of all major ports and airports, which means food imports struggle to get through. Some 13 million Yemenis are already defined as “food insecure” and 21 million are in need of assistance.Aid agencies say a key issue was the Saudi blockade of all major ports and airports, which means food imports struggle to get through. Some 13 million Yemenis are already defined as “food insecure” and 21 million are in need of assistance.
Natalie Roberts was MSF’s emergency coordinator for the area last summer and worked at the hospital that was struck on Monday night. She said it was the only functional hospital in the region, and had a large catchment area.
“It’s an area that had a lot of civilian casualties from the Saudi airstrikes - the town the hospital is in was usually hit by Saudi airstrikes about three times a week and the nearby towns were hit pretty much every day,” she said.
“We used to get about 150 emergency cases a week, half of which were trauma incidents from the bombing. People would travel two, three hours to reach us.”
Roberts said she’d heard there were up to six airstrikes for a duration of 90 minutes on the hospital, the first at 10.30pm and the last at about midnight. “It’s quite a small hospital, it was really an emergency room with a maternity department. We’d stabilise the wounded patients and then refer them to Saada city if they needed surgery.
“Generally patients weren’t very comfortable sleeping in the hospital overnight because it’s in a very dangerous location. It was pretty scary working there. We’d have to give the GPS coordinates of the hospital and our movements to the coalition so they wouldn’t bomb us.”
Roberts added that a nearby girls school was bombed several times when she worked in the area. “It’s destroyed. The children haven’t been able to go to school for months, pretty much since the war started. They still seem to be bombing the school even though there’s no-one in there.”
This is the second time this month that an MSF facility has been hit in a war zone. Its hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz was bombed by US forces on 3 October, killing at least 22 people.This is the second time this month that an MSF facility has been hit in a war zone. Its hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz was bombed by US forces on 3 October, killing at least 22 people.