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Millions of Yemenis are Endangered, Coalition Must Open Ports Immediately
Sun – (12 Nov 2017)
Mwatana Organization for Human Rights organization declared that the Saudi-led coalition must immediately open all Yemeni ports including Sanaa international airport, for commercial and humanitarian flights.After more than one year of Sanaa airport closure in August 2016, and after the missile attack launched by Ansar Allah (Houthis) and intercepted by Saudi Arabia near King Khalid international airport in Riyadh in Saturday evening November 4, 2017, the Saudi-led coalition decided on the November 6, 2017 to “temporarily block all Yemeni air, sea and land ports” including Aden and Seiyun airports which were open to commercial flights.“For the second time during this war, Yemeni people woke up on the announcement of Saudi-led coalition decision of closing all Yemeni air, land and sea ports. This move shows no concern either to the fading life inside the country or to those who have found themselves stranded at the world’s airports. The coalition treats Yemen as a country with no inhabitants. ”, says Radhya al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana Organization for Human Rights.The Saudi-led coalition claims that this procedure is “To address the vulnerabilities in the current inspection procedures that led to the continuation of the supply of ballistic missiles and military equipment”.In fact, this announcement has affected on the flow of humanitarian aid in Yemen due to the suspension of humanitarian flights. Farhan Haq, UN Secretary-General’s deputy spokesman, declared that at the same day of this announcement, no clearance granted for two flights belong to the international organization.Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) also has stated, in a statement published on November 8, 2017, that Saudi-led Coalition has not allowed its flights into Yemen since the coalition’s announcement of closing ports which “directly hindering the organization’s ability to provide life-saving medical and humanitarian assistance to a population already in dire need.”An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) shipment of chlorine tablets, which are used for the prevention of cholera, did not get clearance at Yemen’s northern border, and 50.000 vials of insulin are expected to arrive. In a statement released on November 7, 2017, Robert Mardini, ICRC’s regional director said: “Insulin cannot wait at a shuttered border since it must be kept refrigerated. Without a quick solution to the closure, the humanitarian consequences will be dire.”The decision of closing ports is affecting of millions of Yemenis. The closure of Hodeida port jeopardizes these peoples’ lives, as Yemen relies on this port in importing more than 80% of its food, medicine and fuel needs.The coalition’s announcement of closing Yemeni ports has caused panic and fear among Yemenis. Prices of fuel, cooking gas, food and consumer items skyrocketed. Crisis of unavailability of fuel and cooking gas emerged.On August 9, 2016, the Saudi-led coalition closed Sanaa international airport for commercial flights. This procedure deprived civilians of their right to movement, especially patients in urgent need of medical treatment outside Yemen, and those who want to pursue their study abroad, in addition to obstructing entry of commercial goods and humanitarian aid.On the first anniversary of Sanaa Airport closure in last August, 15 international organizations operating in Yemen called to “lift restrictions on Yemeni airspace” and the re-opening of the country’s main airport. Instead of opening Sanaa airport, the coalition closed the remaining ports.Mwatana Organization conducted interviews last August with people affected by the closure of Sanaa airport and with some workers in the medical field and in Yemen Airways. The testimonies clarified sides of the hardship and difficulties facing Yemenis who need to travel abroad. To reach Aden or Seiyun airports, travelers need first to travel by land for around 9 – 22 hours because of the countless warring parties’ checkpoints and because of unusual routes the transport buses are forced to take to avoid frontlines and military closed zones.In an interview with Mwatana Organization, Mohamed Saleh al-Mahfadi, Deputy Manager of Public Relations at National Oncology Center in Sanaa said: “The closure of Sanaa international airport leads to the death of a large number of Yemenis with serious diseases in the forefront of patients with cancer, liver, kidney and thalassemia.”He also added: “most of death cases happened due to the closure of the airport, as travelling to Aden or Seiyun is dangerous to patients’ lives due to the road’s difficulty and the distance, which cause complications for the health of patients and could lead to death”.In addition to health complications and expensive travel tickets, travelers may be at risk of arbitrary detention at checkpoints. Also, they may not be able to travel by air after arriving in Aden or Seiyun airports due to the irregularity of flights.In an interview with Mwatana Organization, Waleed al- Muleeki, Director of Operation Safety at Yemen Airways – ground services of Sanaa international airport, said: “only three aircrafts of the Yemen Airways fleet remain in service. The Saudi- led coalition does not allow these aircrafts to land or take off except for two to four hours a day, reducing the number of daily flights and causing delays for subsequent flights’ booking accordingly. It is possible to increase the daily flights in case airspace is opened for aircrafts, which will help alleviate the suffering.”Now with the recent decision of the coalition to close all ports in Yemen, these difficult choices for Yemenis are unavailable at all.Ammar (name changed) (30) gave his testimony to Mwatana Organization and said: “my father suffers from arteriosclerosis which necessitated an operation in Sanaa. Due to the low level of health services, the operation failed and my father needs to travel to Egypt or Jordan urgently because of his deteriorated health condition. It requires to wait for long time to get a booking in the soonest flights to Egypt or Jordan.”Forces of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government arrested Mustafa Hussain Mohammed al-Mutawakel (61), a university professor and the chairperson of the General Investment Authority (GIA) in Sanaa, at Bab al-Falaj checkpoint in Marib upon his return from Morocco to Sanaa via Seiyun airport.His wife Elham Mohammed Abd al-Malik al-Mutawakel (59), a university professor at Faculty of Sharia and Law, Sanaa University, said: “my husband received an official invitation from the Kingdom of Morocco to attend an annual investment conference for the investment authorities in Arab states. He travelled on April 13, 2017 to Seiyun through Marib. Two weeks later, when he finished his assignment in Morocco, he came back on 27 April 2017. He was on his way to Sanaa on a transport bus. The bus stopped at Bab al-Falaj checkpoint. Three officers boarded the bus and took him. He called me at 7:00 am to say he was detained by the forces loyal to President Hadi. Since then, I did not have any contact with him.”In November 2016, al- Mutawakel had been appointed as the chairperson of the General Investment Authority which is under the control of Ansar Allah (Houthis) and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Al- Mutawakel’s family believes that his surname is another reason for his arrest.Ala’a Hassn Naji al-Burihi (25) a resident of Sanaa, has struggled to find adequate medical care for her sick mother. The closure of airport left the life of her mother at increased risk. Ala’a said: “My 52 year-old- mother suffers from meningitis. She was hospitalized for ten days and the money we had spent till that moment would have been enough to take her abroad for a better medical care. However, due to the closure of Sanaa airport it would be extremely difficult for her to travel to Seiyun to travel abroad because of the long distance, and because of her deteriorated health condition.”Obad Abu Hatim’s mother had an open- heart surgery 25 years ago. When her health began to deteriorate months after the war began, she needed better medical attention than she had received inside the country. When her condition reached the need for surgical intervention, Sanaa airport was closed..Obad Abu Hatim (36) told Mwatana Organization in an interview: “My mother needed to change two valves. We thought of moving her abroad, but how could we do so and Sanaa airport is closed?!”Abu Hatim mentioned that his mother would not stand the distance to Seiyun or Aden because of the long hours of travel. Even if Obad accompanied his mother on the road trip, he fears being detained by the forces loyal to President Hadi because of his declared views against the Saudi- led coalition.Abu Hatim adds: “First, I took my mother to al- Mutawakel hospital and then to the military hospital, but she passed away on February 11, 2017 after 15 days in the Intensive Care Unit.”An aerial blockade is an operation by a warring party that prevents aircraft from entering or exiting specified airfields or coastal areas that are under control of the enemy. Warring parties may enforce an aerial blockade, so long as its means of warfare do not violate the international humanitarian law. An aerial blockade must be declared, enforced impartially, and allow neutral aircraft to enter.An aerial blockade violates international humanitarian law if its sole purpose is to harm the lives and interests of civilians, or when the suffering of the civilians exceeds the military gains expected to be achieved by the blockade.The closure of the Yemeni ports by the Saudi- led Coalition violates the provisions of article No. 13 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights that stipulates, “(1) everyone has the right to freedom of movement….(2) everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own and to return to his country.”The blockade imposed by the Saudi- led Coalition on Yemen is a violation of the provisions of article No. 23 of the forth convention of Geneva which refers to allow the free passage of consignments of medical and hospital stores for civilians and basic food supplies.Al- Mutawakel said, “Civilians, the ordinary people who are affected by the war and not involved in it, are mainly affected by the closure of land, air, and sea ports. Saudi-led coalition must stop this absurdity. Countries supporting Saudi Arabia especially United States, United Kingdom, and France must take their responsibility and exercise more pressure to immediately open all Yemeni ports. They must remember that Yemen is not chessboard. It is a country inhabited by millions of innocent lives.”
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