SANAA, Yemen, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Human Rights Watch called on the Yemeni government to reveal what happened in December when security forces fired on a funeral in southern al-Dhalai province.
Human Rights Watch said the Yemeni military in December fired on a funeral held for a southern separatist in the province. The attack left at least 15 people dead, including children, and more than 20 others injured, the rights group said.
"The government has an important opportunity in reviewing the attack in al- Dhalai to show that it won't sweep such incidents under the carpet" Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East and North African program at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement Thursday
Stork's group said the Yemeni government set up a committee to investigate the incident but Human Rights Watch felt the probe was inadequate.
Rupert Colville, a spokesman for rights commissioner Navi Pillay, expressed concern over the incident last week, saying the Yemeni government should ensure those responsible for any wrongdoing are held accountable.
Yemen's national security is under threat from al-Qaida, Shiite rebels in the north and southern separatists. South Yemen was an independent country prior to 1990.
