Peace talks aimed at ending Yemen’s war have been pushed back to the end of the year, sparking fears that intense violence in Hodeidah will worsen and the country will be plunged into famine as the Saudi-backed coalition seeks to completely retake the vital port city. Since the peace talks have been delayed until the end of December, however, it is believed the coalition could continue with a full-scale assault, despite repeated calls from aid agencies for an immediate halt to hostilities. Donald Trump’s administration is considering designating the Houthis, who receive military backing from Iran, a terrorist organisation – a move that observers say will further impede the faltering peace process.
The May 22 hospital in Hodeidah’s east – stormed by Houthis who took up sniper positions on the rooftop six days ago – had been emptied of staff and patients and the building had been engulfed in street fighting, local Baseem al Janani said. This has left the city with just one functioning medical facility.
“Before they left, the Houthis burnt down the section where paper records and files were stored,” he said. “They wanted to create fire and smoke so they are not easily spotted and targeted.”
More than 200 coalition airstrikes have hit civilian neighbourhoods and at least 150 people have died after stepping on Houthi landmines or being caught in artillery fire, aid workers said.
“Hodeidah is on the verge of a terrible humanitarian disaster which will only add to the wider tragedy already suffered by Yemenis in this ugly war,” said Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni Nobel peace prize laureate. “My country is being systematically destroyed.”
The future of the vital port is unclear: the UN has repeatedly demanded it is placed under its jurisdiction, but forces loyal to Yemeni commander Tareq Saleh and the separatist Southern Transitional Council – on paper coalition members allied against the Houthis – are also likely to jostle for control.
No comments:
Post a Comment