The United Nations has called on the Yemeni government to authorize the delivery of communication equipment necessary for the proper functioning of the Sanaa airport, held by the rebels, through which international humanitarian aid passes.
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A poor country in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen is devastated by one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world due to the conflict that began in 2014 after an offensive by Houthi rebels, close to Iran, who took the capital Sanaa.
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Saudi Arabia, which controls the airspace of neighboring Yemen, has banned planes since 2016 from landing at Sana'a airport, except for humanitarian flights.
After a week of interruption following coalition strikes, humanitarian flights, crucial for the population, resumed Tuesday in Sana'a.
"
I urge the Yemeni government to allow the importation of the necessary equipment to ensure maximum safety and reliability for humanitarian flights and continued aid to Yemen,
" David Gressly said in a statement Friday. , UN humanitarian coordinator for the country. "
Over the past 18 months, humanitarian flight crews have reported at least ten cases where they were unable to communicate with the Sana'a control tower, a potentially dangerous situation
," he added.
He recalled that the Yemen Civil Aviation Authority, deeming the airport equipment "
obsolete
", had purchased new components in 2019.
But "
despite numerous requests from the UN, their transfer was not authorized by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which put forward the necessary green light from the Yemeni government
," he said. .
The Houthis said on Tuesday that the coalition was preventing "
the arrival of new communications and navigation aids to Sana'a airport (needed) to replace the old ones
."
According to the UN, the war in Yemen has caused the deaths of 377,000 people, including around 227,000 deaths due to the indirect consequences of the conflict, such as lack of clean water, hunger and disease.