ANSD : Coalition to open humanitarian corridors from Hudaida

SUN 24 - 11 - 2024

Date: Sep 25, 2018
Source: The Daily Star

Coalition to open humanitarian corridors from Hudaida

_{Agence France Presse}
RIYADH: An Arab military alliance fighting in Yemen said Monday it would open humanitarian corridors between two key rebel held areas – Hudaida and the capital Sanaa – in coordination with the U.N. “The coalition is working with [U.N. humanitarian agency] OCHA in Yemen to establish safe humanitarian corridors to help in the delivery of aid ... between Hudaida and Sanaa,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki told reporters in Riyadh.

The coalition aims to open three corridors on different routes between the cities for the transportation of humanitarian aid between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, Maliki said without specifying a date.

The coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, last week renewed a large-scale offensive on Hudaida, raising fears of a deepening humanitarian crisis. Yemen’s Houthi rebels, linked to Iran, seized both Hudaida and Sanaa in 2014, forcing the government of President Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi to flee south.

The coalition launched a major operation to retake the Red Sea city of Hudaida in June, which was put on hold for 11 weeks as the United Nations struggled to bring warring parties to peace talks in Geneva.

But the talks collapsed this month after the Houthis refused to attend over what they said was the United Nations’ failure to guarantee a safe return to Sanaa. Hudaida port is a vital lifeline for aid shipments to Yemen, the most impoverished country in the Arab world.

The U.N. has warned any major fighting could halt the distribution of food to 8 million Yemenis dependent on aid to survive.

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