Official Spokesman of the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) in Yemen Legal Counsellor Mansour Al-Mansour refuted a number of claims raised by global bodies and international organizations on errors allegedly committed by the Coalition Forces to Support Legitimacy in Yemen during their military operations inside Yemen. In a press conference held at the Armed Forces Officers Club in Riyadh today, Al-Mansour reviewed the results of assessing four incidents included in those claims as follows: With regard to the Human Rights Watch report dated (21/08/2019), which included that on (16/10/2016), about (70) men were on a small boat and two large sailboats or (Sambuk), fishing off in front of the (Eritrean) coast near the (Davnin) island, Coalition Naval Forces stopped the boats throughout the day, the Coalition Forces arrested (12) persons, (9) men and (3) children, and detained them between (17) months and more than two and a half years, (8) fishermen are still detained. The JIAT vetted the incident, and reviewed all documents including the daily events log for the Coalition Naval Forces, maritime operations area mission reports, operations order's intelligence attachment, the event log for the Coalition Naval units, the Coalition Naval Forces daily intelligence reports, listening to the statements of those involved in the implementation of related maritime missions, rules of engagement for the Coalition Forces, the (San Remo) Guide on International Law applicable to armed conflict in the seas, principles and provisions of International Humanitarian Law and its customary rules, and assessment of evidences, JIAT found that the Coalition Naval Forces received intelligence information stating that a large boat (name - defined) belonging to Al-Houthi armed militia, is located in a specific location in the international waters and used (the boat) to collect information and locate the coalition ships, in addition to control the smuggling of weapons, by many of boats, from African coast and the Yemeni coast, using fishing activity as a cover. At (2:30) p.m. on Friday (14/10/2016), one of the coalition ships spotted the (name - defined) boat, and monitored its activities, at the meantime another boat was spotted not flying a flag, and towing (2) small boats within close distance of the (name - defined) boat and heading towards it. Therefore, the Coalition Naval Forces tracked and stopped it, based on article (135) of the (San Remo) Guide on International Law applicable to armed conflicts in the seas approved in (June 1994), and searched and interrogated its crew, based on the rules of engagement for the Coalition Forces, and it became clear through investigations that the boat was used to gather information about coalition ships and smuggle weapons from African coast of to the Yemeni coast, thus the boat lost its protection status, based on article (137) of the (San Remo) Guide on International Law applicable to conflicts in the seas approved on (June 1994). After questioning the captain of the boat, it turned out that he was (A.G.), a major arms smuggler, he admitted through interrogations that he was collecting information on coalition ships, smuggling weapons between the coast of Africa and the coast of (Al-Makha) in Yemen, and using fishing activity as a cover. The detainees were handed over to the coalition authority in (Jazan) on (24/10/2016) to complete the investigation and detention procedures, on the basis of their admission to play a direct role in military operations, based on article (45) paragraph (1) of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, (4) persons, including (3) (young boys) were handed over to the legitimate government of Yemen out of (12) who were detained. In light of that, JIAT found that the procedures taken by Coalition Naval Forces, to stop, search and capture a boat, for their involvement in collecting and providing information on the location of coalition ships to Al-Houthi armed militia, and arms smuggling operations, were correct and in accordance with the rules of engagement for the Coalition Forces, the International Humanitarian Law and its customary rules, and the international conventions and customs applicable in armed conflicts at seas. --More 19:13 LOCAL TIME 16:13 GMT 0021 www.spa.gov.sa/2144711
