UN chief expresses disappointment over Yemen blockade

UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres termed the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen a 'stupid war' expressing his disappointment over the blockade of Yemen by Saudi Arabia.

Issuing the statement on behalf of UN Secretary General, his spokesperson expressed that a written message was conveyed to Riyadh's representative after the Saudi-led coalition shut down Yemen's sea and airports as well as borders on November 6 after intercepting a missile attack by the Huthi rebels near Riyadh.

"After repeated appeals by UN officials were ignored, Guterres wrote to the Saudi ambassador on Thursday to ask for an end to the blockade, which is already reversing the impact of humanitarian efforts," said his spokesperson.

In the letter to Saudi Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi, Guterres called on the coalition to allow UN flights to Sanaa and Aden, and to reopen the key ports of Hodeida and Saleef in rebel-held territory.

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The UN chief highlighted growing frustration and alarm over Yemen's humanitarian crisis and the coalition's refusal to open up access to aid.

Guterres also offered to send a UN team to Riyadh for talks on tightening up inspections at Hodeida port, once the aid shipments have resumed.

The spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric continued that the secretary-general was very much disappointed the blockade was not lifted.

Guterres and his top aid officials are 'heartbroken at the scenes we are seeing from Yemen and the risk of continued suffering of the Yemeni people', Dujarric added.

The UN official maintained that this 'is a man-made crisis'.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with 17 million people in need of food, seven million of whom are at risk of famine.

Yemen is also battling one of the world's worst outbreaks of cholera, which has left nearly one million people ill apart from killing 2,200 people.

 

Earlier, the heads of three UN agencies warned that without deliveries of vital supplies such as food and medicine, 'untold thousands of innocent victims, among them many children, will die'.

The joint appeal came from the World Health Organization, the UN children's agency UNICEF and the World Food Programme.