Sep 12, 2018

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he has "certified" that coalition partners Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are acting to reduce risks to civilians from their military operations in Yemen.

Pompeo said he delivered the certification on Tuesday to Congress, as required by US law to continue American refueling of Saudi and UAE warplanes in the conflict, which has led to the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

In a statement, Pompeo said both countries "are undertaking demonstrable actions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure resulting from military operations of these governments."

The United Nations estimates that as many as 10,000 people have died in the conflict, most of them civilians, since the Saudi-led coalition launched military operations in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government of Pres

ident Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.