UNITED NATIONS, August 17 (InnerCityPro.com) - After dropping Saudi Arabia from the UN's Children and Armed Conflict annex on Yemen, Ban Ki-moon on August 17 cranked out another statement expressing concern about the conflict -- after a junket to Los Angeles and Calgary, Ban remains "on leave." Here is his statement:
"The Secretary-General is alarmed by the escalation of airstrikes and ground fighting in Yemen and along the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border since the end of talks in Kuwait on 6 August.
Civilians, including children, are paying the heaviest price in the ongoing conflict, as civilian infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, continue to be hit. In this connection, the Secretary-General condemns the reported attack from the direction of Yemen that hit a workshop, killing at least seven civilians in Najran, Saudi Arabia yesterday, as well as the reported airstrike that hit a home in Nehm, east of Sana’a, in Yemen, which killed at least nine civilians.
The Secretary-General reminds all parties of the utmost necessity to protect civilians and to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law. He repeats his call on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease all hostilities and for the Yemeni parties to return to direct talks facilitated by his Special Envoy for Yemen."