News / Yemen

Sweden asks UN to urge 'immediate freeze' to Yemeni port offensive

Thursday, 14 June 2018 6:03 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 14 June 2018 6:24 PM ]

An armored vehicle belonging to forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition arrives in al-Durayhimi district, about nine kilometers south of Hudaydah international airport, on June 13, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

The Swedish deputy ambassador to the United Nations has urged the Security Council to demand a swift freeze on an ongoing Saudi-led military operation against Yemen’s port of Hudaydah.

Carl Skau said in a statement on Thursday that the UNSC had to act immediately to stop the offensive by Saudi Arabia and its allies against Hudaydah, saying the operation could escalate the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen.

“It is time for the Security Council to call for an immediate freeze of the military attack on Hudaydah,” said Skau, adding, “This is needed to give the special envoy and United Nations-led efforts a chance to avert disaster and find a sustainable political solution to the conflict.”

Forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive against Hudaydah on Wednesday, aiming to take the city that has been controlled by the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The Saudi-led coalition claims that the Houthis are using Hudaydah for weapons delivery, an allegation rejected by the fighters.

The UN has earlier warned that the Hudaydah operation could complicate the humanitarian situation in Yemen, a country that has been suffering from a brutal Saudi-led military campaign for the past three years. More than 15,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Saudi airstrikes and ground operations across Yemen since the kingdom launched its illegal campaign in March 2015.

The offensive on Hudaydah comes as aid groups warned on Wednesday that some 300,000 children risk death, injury and starvation as they are trapped in Hudaydah, which is the main route for food to reach most Yemenis, 8.4 million of whom are already on the verge of famine.

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