Local Editor
Dozens of Yemenis have gathered in front of the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, protesting against the years-long, crippling embargo imposed by a Saudi-led military coalition on the international airport in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.
The protesters, who gathered in front of the UN building on Thursday, demanded that the world body take action to end the siege on the Sana’a International Airport.
They held signs that said the embargo had practically turned Yemen into a large prison as some 70 percent of Yemenis used to travel abroad via the airport in the capital.
They also demanded the removal of the Saudi-imposed siege on all Yemeni seaports and airports.
The Saudi-led military coalition that has invaded Yemen has also been enforcing a tight embargo on the airport in the capital — which acts as a lifeline for the impoverished nation — since August 2015, five months after it started the war.
The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the Saudi-led war has claimed the lives of over 60,000 Yemenis since January 2016.
The war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
