Saudi Arabia calls on Security Council to condemn Houthi recruitment of children in Yemen‏

Saudi Arabia condemned the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen for their recruitment of children from their war effort, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

Saudi Ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Mouallimi slammed the Houthis for their blatant disregard of international laws and humanitarian norms, calling on the UN Security Council to condemn these actions.

He made his demand while addressing the Council, which was holding an open debate on "Children and Armed Conflict.”

He thanked the Council for adopting resolution 2427 on the protection of children from the impact of military conflict, hoping it will support the work of the Child Protection Group in armed conflict.

“We would have hoped that this resolution would have called on the UN system for children and armed conflict to investigate the accuracy of its figures and statistics and not depend on unreliable sources,” Mouallimi said.

He explained that Saudi Arabia and its partners in the Arab coalition for supporting legitimacy in Yemen enjoy an honorable and unblemished record.

Furthermore, the operation to liberate Hodeidah from the Houthis is demonstrating that the coalition is exercising the utmost restraint and respecting all international norms, charters and laws, stressed the envoy.

Cooperation between the coalition and UN over the past few months has uncovered several Houthi violations in Yemen, most notably in schools and hospitals. They also set up a child protection unit and saved several children from Houthi clutches, Mouallimi he continued.

Several of these children have been returned to their families, he revealed, while highlighting the programs set up by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center that have become examples for the care and rehabilitation of children.

The Center will work with the UN to benefit from its experience in many locations in the world.

Mouallimi called on the Security Council to condemn the Houthi militias and their backers, accusing them of stalling in implementing international resolutions and instead working on exporting their corrupt ideologies and promoting their sectarian agenda.