French activists call for prosecuting Saudi, UAE at ICC

A panel of French human rights experts and researchers have called for a lawsuit to be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) against those responsible for bombing and killing hundreds of civilians in Yemen.

During a conference organised by the International Alliance for Defence of Rights and Freedoms (AIDL) in Paris, the experts denounced the Emirati and Saudi ambitions in the Yemeni island of Socotra.

AIDL Vice President, Abdul Salam Qleish, said the war in Yemen has increased the UAE’s appetite to expand its influence in the region for economic and geopolitical purposes, which explains its ambitions to occupy the island of Socotra.

French academic specialised in the Yemeni affairs, Anne Rocourt said the island of Socotra is located in a strategic position and is rich in rare natural resources which led the UAE to completely rob the island’s fish wealth since 2017.

French thinker and academic Francois Bourga said the UAE’s military intervention in Socotra has struck a strong blow to the Saudi military alliance and relations between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.

He explained that Abu Dhabi wants to play a regional role like Saudi Arabia and Iran but it is playing a purely colonial role  by recruiting mercenaries from several countries in the war in Yemen and occupying the island of Socotra.

Meanwhile, researcher at the National Research Center Frank Mermi said the UAE and Saudi Arabia are using humanitarian aid in Yemen and Socotra to cover up their military presence and control the state agencies.

NGOs: Saudi Arabia must be held to account for human rights violations in Yemen