Mon, 2018-09-24 16:21
JEDDAH: The Arab coalition fighting in support of the legitimate Yemeni government has established three safe corridors for civilians to travel between the cities of Sanaa and Hodeidah.
Spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said on Monday that the corridors between the former capital that was seized by the Houthi militia in 2014 and the countrys biggest port on the Red Sea have been set up in cooperation with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“The coalition is working with OCHA in Yemen to establish safe humanitarian corridors to help in the delivery of aid… between Hodeidah and Sanaa,” Al-Maliki told reporters.
The coalition aims to open three corridors on different routes between the cities for the transportation of humanitarian aid between 6 am and 6 p.m. daily, Al-Maliki said without specifying a date.
An OCHA statement to AFP confirmed the organisation was in "ongoing discussions with the coalition and other stakeholders on safe, reliable access routes into and out of Hodeidah",
Hodeidah port is a vital lifeline for aid shipments to Yemen, the most impoverished country in the Arab world.
The UN has warned that any major fighting could halt the distribution of food to eight million Yemenis dependent on aid to survive.
Speaking in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Al-Maliki also said an Iranian military vessel has been monitoring international vessels as they pass through the Bab Al-Mandab strait.
“The Iranian ship Safiz is carrying listening devices and military experts,” he said.
“The Iranian regime continues to violate international law and destabilize the security of the region and the world.”
Meanwhile, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid And Relief Center (KSRelief) in the city of Marib on Monday celebrated the rehabilitation of 26 children recruited by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia and were used as human shields in the armed conflict.
The children completed the fifth and sixth phase of the rehabilitation process, which aimed at rehabilitating 80 child soldiers from several Yemeni governorates, with the help of a KSRelief team, representatives from the local authority and a number of parents.
The child soldiers presented ceremonial segments that reflected their psychologically and social rehabilitation efforts.
The center was working to rehabilitate 241 children from different Yemeni governorates as part of its plan to rehabilitate 2,000 Yemeni child soldiers.
Main category: Saudi ArabiaTags: Arab CoalitionYemenHodeidahSanaa Houthi militants killed by coalition airstrikeSaudi envoy highlights Coalitions support of humanitarian operations in Yemen
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Arab News
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