SANAA, Jun 1 (NNN-SABA) – UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said, the blockade on Sanaa airport and Hodeidah seaport should be lifted.
“Obstacles should be lifted, to allow fuel and goods reaching the Yemenis,” Griffiths told reporters at Sanaa airport, after concluding a two-day visit to the Houthi rebel-held Yemeni capital.
“There is a need for a cease-fire, reopening roads for the movement of the Yemeni people and returning normal life to Yemen,” Griffiths said, adding that he will re-discuss this issue with the Yemeni government and Saudi officials.
Griffiths arrived in Sanaa on Sunday, and met with Houthi chief, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, according to Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
Al-Houthi told Griffiths that the blockade is “a collective punishment,” calling for the United Nations to press on the Saudi-led coalition to lift it.
“It is the right of the Yemeni people to obtain fuel, medical supplies and foodstuffs, and this humanitarian issue cannot be exchanged for the cease-fire,” al-Houthi was quoted as telling Griffiths.
Griffiths also told reporters at Sanaa airport that, the Houthi offensive on the government-controlled Marib, impedes peace efforts and endangers millions of lives.
The Houthis began in Feb, a major offensive against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government army, to capture the oil-rich province of Marib, which hosts nearly two million internally displaced people.
The United Nations warned, the offensive on Marib could lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe.
Griffiths’ recent brokered negotiation between Yemen’s warring sides and other relevant parties failed to produce a cease-fire.
