he Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen says a statement from the United Nations official in charge of delivering aid to the war-torn country is "biased" and "undermines the UN's credibility." In a statement released Thursday to mark 1,000 days of conflict, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, said he was "deeply disturbed" by the mounting civilian casualties.

McGoldrick pointed to the deaths of 68 civilians in just 24 hours on December 26 as proof of the "complete disregard for human life that all parties, including the Saudi-led Coalition, continue to show in this absurd war."
He added that Yemenis were "being punished as part of a futile military campaign by both sides."

In a statement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA), a Coalition Forces spokesman said McGoldrick's statement "creates a constant state of uncertainty about the information and data on which the United Nations relies and undermines its credibility."

While the spokesman "deplores this biased stance," he also "stresses the need for the United Nations to review the humanitarian mechanism and the efficiency of its staff working in Yemen," the statement said. The spokesman's name wasn't provided. Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting, millions are starving and many survivors are also at risk from cholera, aid agencies say.

Courtesy:CNN