ADEN: Yemeni Minister of Local Administration Abdul Raqib Fatah hailed the assistance provided by Saudi Arabia to Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The Kingdom’s assistance to Yemen is demonstrated by the efforts of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) in helping the people of Yemen inside and outside their country.
Fatah, who is also the head of Higher Committee for Relief, referred to the comprehensive humanitarian plan announced by the Saudi-led coalition, explaining that there are 17 routes for reaching Yemen, and the new response plan has established a new airport in Marib.
He called on the UN to use military aircraft to deliver aid to Yemenis.
The Yemeni minister rejected the Houthis’ claim of an alleged siege, requesting that anyone who mentions a blockade or siege must refer to a relief convoy that was denied access to a governorate by the legitimate government or the coalition.
“The true siege is the one being carried out by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who are establishing new routes in Dhamar, Ibb, and Sanaa and therefore increasing the costs of delivering aid and consequently expanding the area of poverty,” he said.
In an interview with the Yemeni national television, Fatah explained that “if not for KSRelief’s great efforts in providing assistance to the Yemeni people, as well as the efforts of the UAE Red Crescent and the Kuwaiti Relief Authority, the people of Yemen would have suffered famine.”
“Those are our true partners who have stood by us since the crisis erupted,” he added, explaining that the situation in Yemen is the result of a coup carried out by a group that wished to rule Yemen with force.
“The Houthi rebels have targeted with their weapons all the Yemenis, foremost the legitimate president, and they have done this after Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi led a dialogue in which representatives of all Yemeni parties participated — including the Houthis, who signed the dialogue’s documents.”
Fatah criticized the performance of UN organizations and described it as “centralized” during the 2017 relief operation, pointing out that this year, UN organizations have decided that relief gets carried out through 5 relief centers in Sanaa, Hodeidah, Aden, Hadramout, and Marib so that it does not remain centralized.
“This measure will ensure justice in distributing aid,” he said.
Fatah pointed out that the High Relief Committee submitted 92 statements to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sanaa, Jamie McGoldrick, and to ambassadors of different countries, documenting violations committed by Houthi rebels in 2017, including direct seizure of aid convoys and taking hold of 250 aid convoys on their way to Taiz districts.
“I explained to the head of Office for OCHA, George Khoury, that in 2018, we must stop diagnosing and move on to treatment,” he continued, stressing that “treating the situation can be done once we move to the second phase of the relief operation because it helps us secure sources of income and livelihoods, which is what the US is doing in many countries.”
The Yemeni minister indicated that UN organizations are a major ally of the Yemeni government.
“Our goal in 2018 is not to only provide the Yemeni people with flour, rice, and oil after three years of war, but to transition to the second phase of relief according to the UN’s standards and commitments, which is the phase of providing livelihoods,” he said.
Yemeni minister lauds KSRelief
Yemeni minister lauds KSRelief
Threat to Kingdom’s security is ‘red line’ that will be ‘addressed and neutralized,’ Saudi envoy says
- Abdulaziz Alwasil tells UN Security Council the situation in southern Yemen is ‘a just cause with social and historic dimensions’ that can only be resolved through dialogue
- Recent military activity in the south was unilateral, resulting in an escalation that harms the interests of Yemeni people and undermines efforts to address issues in the south, he said
NEW YORK CITY: Any attempt to threaten Saudi Arabia’s national security is a “red line” and will be met with decisive action, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Speaking during a meeting of the council to discuss Yemen, Abdulaziz Alwasil said the situation in the south of the country is “a just cause with social and historic dimensions” that can only be resolved through dialogue.
“We stress that any attempt to threaten our national security is a red line, and we will not hesitate to take the necessary actions and steps to address it and neutralize it,” he added.
Alwasil reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Yemeni President Rashad Al-Alimi, the Presidential Leadership Council, and the Yemeni government in their efforts to achieve security, stability, development and peace while preserving national unity.
He said military activity by Southern Transitional Council forces in Hadramout and Al-Mahra on Dec. 2, 2025, was unilateral, did not have the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council, and was not carried out in coordination with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.
It had resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people, undermined efforts to address the issues in the south, and ran counter to the coalition’s objectives, Alwasil added.
The Kingdom, working with its coalition partners, the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni government, had moved to contain the situation by dispatching a military force to coordinate arrangements with the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, he said.
The aim was to ensure the return of the southern council’s forces to their previous positions outside of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, and the handover of camps to legitimate government forces and local authorities in line with agreed procedures, Alwasil added.
He expressed regret over the military operations that took place in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, close to Saudi Arabia’s southern border, which he said posed a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security, as well as the security of Yemen and regional stability. Such steps were extremely dangerous, he added, and contradicted the principles on which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen had been founded.
Alwasil welcomed a prisoner and detainee exchange agreement signed in Muscat on Dec. 23, which he described as an important humanitarian measure to alleviate suffering and build confidence.
He praised Oman for hosting and sponsoring the consultations and supporting negotiations, and commended the efforts of UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the International Committee of the Red Cross and all others that has played a part.
Regarding the political efforts to resolve the crisis, Alwasil said Saudi Arabia welcomed President Al-Alimi’s call for an inclusive conference in Riyadh to bring together all stakeholders to discuss just solutions to the situation in southern Yemen.
Preparations for the conference have begun, he added, in cooperation with the Yemeni government and southern representatives, reflecting the close ties between the two countries and their shared interests in stabilizing Yemen.
He urged all southern stakeholders to participate actively and constructively in the talks, to help find comprehensive and just solutions that meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of southern Yemen.
Alwasil called on all Yemeni forces and stakeholders to cooperate and intensify their efforts to reach a lasting political settlement that would ensure security and stability.
He described the southern issue as “a just cause with social and historic dimensions,” adding that “the only way to address it is through dialogue that leads to a comprehensive political solution” based on nationally and internationally agreed terms of reference.
