The eight victims of the Yemen war on Friday filed a complaint in France accusing the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE of financial terrorism and “establishing an “alliance” with Al-Qaeda”, local media reported.
This complaint was submitted, in particular, on behalf of the Yemeni NGO “The Legal Center for Rights and Development” based in Sana’a.
“Our best allies and clients in the region are allied with our worst enemies, who orchestrated the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris in January 2015,” said attorney Joseph Briham, who filed the complaint with his assistant Julie Baleno.
Saudi Arabia, an ally of the United States, has intervened in Yemen since 2015 at the head of a military coalition to support the government in confronting the Houthi rebels, which are politically backed by Iran.
The UAE withdrew its forces from Yemen in 2019, but it remains a member of the coalition.
The United States considers the branch of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which was founded in 2009, to be one of the most powerful branches of the al-Qaeda network, taking advantage of the chaos resulting from the war to launch attacks on the Houthis.
“Many observers have confirmed the de facto alliance with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula against Ansar Allah’s forces, especially through financial and equipment support, as well as logistical cooperation,” Middle East Monitor quoted complainant statement.
According to the plaintiffs, “the coalition may have provided support, especially through the First Abu Dhabi Bank, to al-Qaeda terrorist organization, in exchange for its withdrawal from the cities it controls.”
The lawsuit was filed by the Legal Center for Rights and Development on behalf of eight victims of torture or bombing, which was carried out by the Saudi coalition.
It is reported that, Briham also accuses the Saudi Crown Prince, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the chiefs of staff of the two armies of committing “crimes of torture”, “enforced disappearance”, “war crimes”.
In seven years, Yemen has plunged into one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies, according to the United Nations, with more than two-thirds of the people dependent on international aid. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, most of them civilians, and millions have been displaced, according to non-governmental organizations.