Although Yemen Parliament issued a recommendation last December calling for the ban of US-led drone strike on Yemen territory, in response to the killing of over a dozen of civilians, when a missile mistakenly struck a wedding convoy, officials in the southern province of Marib confirmed this Friday that a drone had indeed targeted alleged al-Qaeda militants in the Obeida valley.
“A vehicle was hit by a missile fired from an American drone. It was totally destroyed and the three people inside, Al Qaida militants, were killed,” Reuters quoted a military source as saying.
The move which comes in direct opposition of the Parliament’s wishes prompted much criticism both in the capital and in Marib as residents complained they felt government officials had proven once again to be dismissive of Yemenis’ wishes.
While President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s decision to stand by his anti-terror drone cooperation and collaboration agreement with Washington has generated much controversy over the past two years, December marked a decisive turning point in the public’s perception of Yemen’s counter terror efforts. Faced with the realities of drone strikes, and the devastation and heartbreak they can bring onto peaceful communities, Yemenis have in great majority called for President Hadi to review his position and permanently halt all drone strikes, in favour of a less invasive anti-terror footprint.
As per noted by activists and parliamentarians, unless Yemen and the US can absolutely guarantee that drone strike only ever target terror militants, the risk they pose to civilian population far outweigh their usefulness.
As it happens, both Washington and Sana’a seem to have different ideas.