News   /   More   /   News

Russia submits draft resolution, calling for pause in Saudi raids on Yemen

A Yemeni man looks at destroyed houses in the village of Bani Matar, 70 kilometers (43 miles) West of Sana’a, on April 4, 2015, a day after it was hit in a Saudi airstrike. (© AFP)

Russia has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council (UNSC) urging a humanitarian halt in the deadly Saudi airstrikes in Yemen to allow the evacuation of foreign nationals in the country.

Moscow on Saturday called an emergency meeting of the 15-member council and distributed the one-page text, which “demands to establish regular and obligatory humanitarian pauses in the airstrikes” in an attempt to “allow all concerned states and international organizations to evacuate their citizens and personnel from Yemen.”

The draft resolution also voiced serious alarm at “the significant and rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, in particular the dire situation of civilians including diplomatic and consular personnel and other foreigners.”

Saudi Arabia launched its air campaign against Yemen on March 26 in a bid to restore power to fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

Yemeni protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against Saudi airstrikes in Yemen in the capital, Sana’a, April 3, 2015. ©AFP

According to the latest estimates by the United Nations, at least 519 people have lost their lives since the illegal strikes started, with UN humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, saying she is “extremely concerned” about the fate of the civilians caught in the clashes.

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, has also said that at least 62 children were killed and 30 wounded over the past week in Yemen.

Houthi fighters, who control the capital, Sana’a, continue advancing toward the south of the country while they have made gains in fighting terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. The revolutionaries said after reaching Sana’a last September that the Hadi government was incapable of properly running the affairs of the country and containing the growing wave of corruption and terror.

MR/HJL/SS


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku