Off the wire
• Road and belt initiative win-win for UAE and China: ambassador  • Almost half flights cancelled in France amid air controllers' strike  • Justice Centre in Vienna evacuated following bomb threat  • Obama says no decision yet on taking Cuba from terror sponsor list: media  • LME base metals rise mostly on Thursday  • World Champ Sum to start season in Shanghai Diamond League  • Egypt evacuates over 1,100 citizens from conflict-torn Yemen  • Roundup: 100 days into Lithuanian euro adoption litas almost out of circulation, public positive  • Urgent: UN chief calls for safe delivery of life-saving assistance in Yemen  • France starts criminal probe into HSBC's tax dodging practice  
You are here: 　 Home

1st LD Writethru: UN chief calls for safe delivery of life-saving assistance in Yemen

Xinhua, April 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called on all parties in Yemen to protect civilians and enable humanitarian workers to safely deliver life- saving assistance wherever it is needed.

"As the fighting rages on, all parties to the conflict in Yemen must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law," said Ban at a press briefing here.

Ban said humanitarian situation in Yemen is deteriorating, and ordinary Yemeni families are struggling for the very basics, including water, food, fuel and medicines.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that humanitarian access remains severely constrained by the continuing conflict, especially in Yemeni governorates of Aden, Lahj and Al Dhale'e, said UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric Wednesday.

The UN Security Council on Saturday held an emergency meeting to discuss the possibility of having "humanitarian pauses" in the conflict in Yemen, but there is no result for the discussion so far.

Ban said attempts by the Houthis and their allies to take territory by force and undermine the authority of the legitimate government have violated Security Council resolutions and their commitments in the UN-facilitated political process.

"The UN-brokered negotiations, endorsed by the Security Council, remain the best chance to help get the transition back on track and preserve the country's unity and territorial integrity," he said.

The security situation in Yemen has sharply deteriorated since early March when conflicts erupted in several provinces in the country's southern regions.

Late last month, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia started airstrikes on Houthi targets in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and other cities, saying the multinational action is to protect President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's legitimacy and force the Houthis to retreat from cities they have seized since September 2014.

However, the UN chief said the coalition air raids and the continuing attempts by the Houthis and their allies to expand their power have "turned an internal political crisis into a violent conflict that risks deep and long-lasting regional repercussions."

"There needs to be a return to political negotiations," he appealed. "There is no other solution." Endite