Local Editor
UN humanitarian aid chief Mark Lowcock declined to say on Friday if the Saudi-led blockade on Yemen was a breach of international law, but said there were laws of war and they needed to be respected.
"From the (UN) secretary-general down we’ve consistently called on all parties to uphold their obligations and we condemned flagrant breaches whenever they occur," Lowcock said.
Pressed on the legality of the blockade, he said: "It is absolutely essential that people uphold their international obligations. Wars have rules and they need to be complied with."
The coalition, bombing Yemen with backing from the United States, Britain and other countries, eased the blockade this week following international outcry, allowing aid ships into the Red Sea ports of Hodeida and Salif, as well as U.N. flights to Sana’a.
U.N. humanitarian officials have said Yemen cannot rely on humanitarian aid alone but must have commercial imports too, because it relies on imports for the vast majority of its food, fuel and medicine.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
