UN indifferent to rising death toll in Yemen: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Hussain al-Bukhaiti, activist and political commentator in Sana’a, to discuss Saudi Arabia’s ongoing military aggression against Yemen.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: First of all, looking at the death toll which is mounting to 4,500 now - mostly women, children and civilians - what do you have to say to this continuation of the bombardment of Yemen by the hands of Saudi Arabia? Has it become a norm for the world that is why the world is not speaking up? 

Bukhaiti: Yes, it actually has become like that. Every day the Saudis are conducting airstrikes, every day they are killing civilians and for the international community Yemeni lives have become just like a number. They say today three killed, tomorrow four. They do not know those are families, those are people who do not want to die.

Yesterday they bombed the house of former Prime Minister, Mr. Faraj Bin Ghanem and they killed and injured an entire family which was the guard of the house and his family, they came into Sana’a to do some shopping for the Eid....

So after finishing with the military bases and all military areas, they start now targeting homes, civilian houses just because there is no more targets and because the international community is so quiet about what is happening in Yemen and it does help the Saudis’ propaganda.

Just yesterday when there were talks about a possible ceasefire by the United Nations, the Saudis straight away have attacked Sana’a and it was the heaviest strike in days in Sana’a. They wanted to tell everybody that “Do not have hope! We will not stop striking and killing civilians.”

Press TV: The UN has declared the highest level of humanitarian emergency in Yemen. Right now as you are there in the country, what is the humanitarian situation like?

Bukhaiti: The humanitarian situation is really, really bad. A lot of hospitals have been closed and medical centers have been bombed especially in Sa’ada area and fuel supplies make it difficult for hospitals to reach areas that have been targeted by the Saudis and I think this is silly from the UN to declare level three for high emergency because they have no existence in Yemen. Where was level two, level three, level four? It does not matter for the Yemenis. There is not any existence for the United Nations in helping Yemenis, in helping the displaced, in helping the sick.

The only organization that is working clearly and helping the Yemenis are Doctors without Borders and, themselves, they are complaining of this absence of the international community especially the UN. So it does not matter and it will make no difference to declare it level three, level one, level hundred because as long as they have no existence Yemen, as long as they are helping the Saudis and blocking supplies from coming directly to Yemen, as long as they are keeping the supplies to rot in Djibouti port, so it does not matter for Yemenis because every day we are under attack. And Yemenis will take matters to their hands and they will respond to the Saudis at the border hopefully.

AHK/MKA

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