October 7, Male’: The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) calls on President Yameen to immediately withdraw Maldivian support from the Saudi-led military coalition that is bombing Yemen, indiscriminately killing civilians, including many children.

Last week the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, placed the coalition on a UN “list of shame,” after horrific airstrikes by coalition warplanes killed hundreds of Yemeni children.

A UN report published on August 24 said coalition airstrikes killed or wounded nearly 700 children, and damaged or destroyed nearly 40 schools and hospitals in 2016 alone. The Maldives joined the coalition in 2015.

Human Rights Watch has also documented horrific abuses perpetrated by Saudi Arabia and its coalition and other parties against Yemeni children. The NGO said these include killing and maiming children, arbitrarily detaining and disappearing them, recruiting children to fight, attacking schools and hospitals and preventing aid for reaching sick and wounded children.

President Yameen, who has deliberately tied Maldivian foreign Policy to Riyadh, joined the Saudi-led military coalition unilaterally, without consulting parliament or the Maldivian public. It is unclear what benefits the President receives in exchange for pledging the Maldives’ support the Saudi coalition.

MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said:

“In joining this murderous coalition, President Yameen has made the Maldives complicit in the destruction of Yemen and the slaughter of its people.

“The Maldives must immediately leave this disgraceful coalition, which is responsible for the indiscriminate killing and maiming of fellow Muslims.”

ENDS