Red Cross ‘worried’ at abandoned corpses in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen – The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is “extremely concerned” by a growing number of corpses being abandoned in the war zones of Yemen.

“With the escalation of the fighting, more casualties are being left behind owing to the increased danger associated with retrieving the wounded and the dead,” says Nourane Houas, head of the ICRC’s Protection Department in war-ravaged Yemen.

“International humanitarian law requires that dead bodies be treated properly and with respect,” the ICRC says in a statement.

Houas urged all sides in the conflict “to respect the dignity of the dead and to allow their swift recovery, while taking all feasible measures to ensure their proper identification and their handover to the families.”

Under Islam, the predominant religion in Yemen, the dead should be buried the same day whenever possible.

— AFP