Saudi-led coalition stops use of cluster muniton in Yemen

Saudi-led coalition announced on Monday that it has stopped the use of cluster munitions, citing that the previous uses were limited to legitimate military targets at borders, Al Arabiya local news reported.

The coalition's spokesperson, Ahmed Asiri highlighted in a statement that the military targeting aimed to prevent civilian causalities in Saudi Arabia.

The statement was issued to respond to Amnesty International's claim that that the BL-755 cluster munitions was used between Dec. 2015 and Jan. 2016 in the vicinity of Al-Khadra in Yemen.

He said that although the international law does not ban the use of cluster munitions, some states have undertaken a commitment to refrain from using cluster munitions by becoming parties to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.

He clarified that neither Saudi Arabia nor its Coalition partners are state parties to the 2008 Convention, and accordingly, the Coalition's use of cluster munitions does not violate the obligations of these states under international law.

The spokesperson said that the coalition has launched a probe into the use of cluster munitions in Yemen.

In deploying these munitions, the Coalition fully observed the international humanitarian law principles of distinction and proportionality. Furthermore, the munitions were not deployed in civilian population centers, said Asiri.

He added that Saudi Arabia confirms that it has decided to cease use of the Britain-manufactured BL-755 cluster munitions and that the British government has been informed about this decision. Endit