Latest Yemen ceasefire means more fatalities: Activist

Press TV has conducted an interview with Hussain al-Bukhaiti, activist and political commentator in Sana’a, to discuss a five-day ceasefire announced by Saudi Arabia amid its attacks on Yemen.

Following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Looking at the situation, the death toll continues to rise. Now, on the one hand, we have heard about possible ceasefire that is going to take effect tomorrow, but on the other the hand we have heard that the ceasefire is not going to actually allow humanitarian supplies to get to people. Tell me overall your take on what’s going on.   

Bukhaiti: The last four months, we have had already two ceasefires and during these two ceasefires the Saudi has killed more Yemenis than any other day. Like before the end of Ramadan, there was talk about ceasefire, the ceasefire was announced as well by the UN, and just before that, the Saudi targeted three markets in different areas in Yemen in Amran, Hajjah and Lahij and they killed over 150 people. Today, they bombed their complexes and residential complexes of Mukha power plant, which is western Ta’izz … killing over 70 people injuring over 90. And now the Saudis are talking about this ceasefire. They just want to take the coverage over this massacre and this crime that has been done today against civilians in Yemen. All the media is talking now about this ceasefire today, while they are keeping a blind eye to the Saudi massacre today. We, as Yemenis, actually welcome any ceasefire that will allow humanitarian aids, but we have experience with the Saudis. Ceasefire means more killings, more blockades, more airstrikes and we have not seen any difference [but] only more casualties during these ceasefires.

Press TV: Mr. al-Bukhaiti you are in Yemen. Tell me the overall situation that the average Yemeni civilian is facing these days.

Bukhaiti: You can tell from the streets in Sana’a, where I live, that our streets are almost kind of empty, less cars in there because we had a few ships of fuel has come I think the end of Ramadan, and now fuel is running out again and hospitals are suffering, and Saudis keep bombing the infrastructure in Yemen. They bomb roads, food trucks and the same targets they started at the beginning and now, on the top of that, they are targeting more residential areas, more homes because they have run out of military target and they couldn’t affect any of the Yemeni popular committees’ advances against Saudi loyalists, al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood extremists across the country. So, the only response we see these days across cities, across towns, like we saw today in Mukha and as well there were eight airstrikes in the last two hours in different areas in Sa’ada, killing dozens of people mainly women and children and the situation is just getting worse and worse while the entire international community is watching Yemen, and they are actually not doing anything, but in fact they are just helping the Saudis by keeping silent about what is happening in Yemen. 

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