UN seeks inquiry on airstrike on refugee boat off Yemen

By Fatih Erel

GENEVA (AA) - The United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR on Monday called for an inquiry into an airstrike on a refugee boat that killed 42 people off Yemen’s west coast last week.

The boat had been packed with Somali refugees, including women and children, heading to Sudan when it was hit Thursday. More than 35 of those on board were rescued.

"Over forty lives have been lost in this unwarranted attack on helpless civilians fleeing violence and conflict,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement Monday.

"Many questions remain unanswered on the circumstances of this horrific event,” he underlined. “We call on all parties to the conflict to make proper inquiries to ensure accountability and to prevent this from happening again."

Yemen fell into civil war in 2014, when Houthi rebels and allied forces of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh overran capital Sanaa and other parts of the country.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched an extensive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

UN-brokered peace talks between the government and Houthi rebels have failed to resolve the conflict, in which 10,000 people were killed and around three million displaced, according to UN estimates.

According to UN, Yemen is immersed in a humanitarian crisis and is at risk of famine.

Yemen hosts 270,000 migrants including 255,000 Somalis, according to the International Organization for Migration.