LONDON: The Houthis are leaving thousands of Yemeni COVID-19 patients in Sanaa and other areas under their control to die of the disease, the country’s information minister said on Thursday.
With its health services decimated by years of conflict, experts have warned that Yemen could face one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus disease.
The Iran-backed Houthis have been accused of covering up the extent of the outbreak in the territory under its control and of hampering aid operations.
Yemeni citizens who have the virus or are suspected of having it are staying at home out of fear they will be killed in hospital by “lethal injections” administered by Houthis, Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani said.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have set up a field hospital in Sanaa’s Movenpick Hotel for its leaders and members who have the coronavirus. The militia have equipped the facility with respirators and medical equipment.
They are also monopolising graves for their members in Sanaa’s city center, Al-Eryani said.
Field reports obtained by the Yemeni authorities reveal that hundreds of citizens have died from the coronavirus and thousands have been infected with it, Al-Eryani said.
He called on the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the international community to condemn these crimes and pressure the Houthis to be transparent about the spread of the disease.
Houthis accused of leaving thousands of Yemenis to die from COVID-19
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Houthis accused of leaving thousands of Yemenis to die from COVID-19
- Experts have warned that Yemen could face one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus disease
Syria’s growth accelerates as sanctions ease, refugees return
- Economy grows much faster than World Bank’s 1% estimate, fueling plans for currency’s relaunch
NEW YORK: Syria’s economy is growing much faster than the World Bank’s 1 percent estimate for 2025 as refugees flow back after the end of a 14-year civil war, fueling plans for the relaunch of the country’s currency and efforts to build a new Middle East financial hub, central bank Governor AbdulKader Husrieh has said.
Speaking via video link at a conference in New York, Husrieh also said he welcomed a deal with Visa to establish digital payment systems and added that the country is working with the International Monetary Fund to develop methods to accurately measure economic data to reflect the resurgence.
The Syrian central bank chief, who is helping guide the war-torn country’s reintegration into the global economy after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime about a year ago, described the repeal of many US sanctions against Syria as “a miracle.”
The US Treasury on Nov. 10 announced a 180-day extension of the suspension of the so-called Caesar sanctions against Syria; lifting them entirely requires approval by the US Congress.
Husrieh said that based on discussions with US lawmakers, he expects the sanctions to be repealed by the end of 2025, ending “the last episode of the sanctions.”
“Once this happens, this will give comfort to our potential correspondent banks about dealing with Syria,” he said.
Husrieh also said that Syria was working to revamp regulations aimed at combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, which he said would provide further assurances to international lenders.
Syria’s central bank has recently organized workshops with banks from the US, Turkiye, Jordan and Australia to discuss due diligence in reviewing transactions, he added.
Husrieh said that Syria is preparing to launch a new currency in eight note denominations and confirmed plans to remove two zeroes from them in a bid to restore confidence in the battered pound.
“The new currency will be a signal and symbol for this financial liberation,” Husrieh said. “We are glad that we are working with Visa and Mastercard,” Husrieh said.
