JEDDAH: The UN on Monday rejected the Saudi-led Arab coalition’s request for the key Yemeni port of Al-Hodeida to be placed under its supervision.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said the warring sides in Yemen have a responsibility to protect civilian infrastructure and civilians, adding: “These are not obligations they can shift to others.”
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri told Arab News it had asked the UN to supervise the port, not protect it.
He said Al-Hodeida is being exploited by certain parties to the ongoing conflict, so the UN was asked to appoint international observers to ensure the port is managed in a manner that facilitates the arrival of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the war.
“Proper UN supervision would… ensure that the port is not exploited by the Houthi militias. Ships carrying humanitarian aid have been accumulating in the port, which was transformed into a base for attacks against coalition forces,” Al-Assiri said in a statement, citing incidents when a Houthi boat targeted a Saudi frigate in the Red Sea, and when several Somali immigrants were killed in Al-Hodeida.
“The port has been used to smuggle weapons into Yemen,” he said, adding that the coalition approved a UN request to open seaports to allow the passage of food and humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, Iran is sending advanced weapons and military advisers to the Houthi movement, stepping up support for its Shiite ally in the civil war, Reuters reported on Tuesday, quoting regional and Western sources.