UN must take serious step to stop Yemen war: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Hussein al-Bukhaiti, Yemeni activist and political commentator in Sana’a, about United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemning Saudi Arabia for defying calls to halt airstrikes on Yemen.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: First of all give us your thoughts on the recent condemnations coming on behalf of the United Nations.

Bukhaiti: I think this is the first good step from the United Nations which has been keeping a blind eye to what was happening in Yemen. Just last week there was that European Parliament call for a total embargo of weapons to Saudi Arabia and now comes the United Nations condemnation which came very, very late after ten months of constant attack on Yemen.

So I hope that we will hear more call and condemnation and as well a serious step to stop this war because condemnation cannot really stop the killing of the Yemeni people across the country.

Press TV: There have been voices of condemnation against the Saudi war on Yemen from various rights groups and sporadically from the United Nations as well. When will these condemnations turn into tangible action?

Bukhaiti: They will turn into action if they will take a step to force the Saudi to stop this war and the first thing to do is to stop the selling of the weapons to the Saudi because as soon as countries like the United States, Britain and France are not making any profit of this war, there will be a total blockade of these weapons to the Saudi, then I think the Saudi will think again and as well through I hope that Human Rights Watch and all humanitarian agencies must go to courts across Europe and the United States, they have to take action against those crimes that have been done against Yemen for the last ten months, they have destroyed almost everything in Yemen and just after the call of the European Parliament, the day after the Saudis have conducted an airstrike on a market east of Sana’a, killing and injuring over 50 people.

So this shows you the Saudis arrogance against all humanitarian calls to stop this aggression against Yemen and I think as well that the Yemenis are realizing every time that it is only up to their hand to stop the Saudi aggression and I think that the war, the change of the battlefield in Yemen will change the Saudi thought against Yemen as well.  

Press TV: What is more disturbing is the blockade imposed on Yemen, vital aid has basically been only trickling in. How serious is the humanitarian situation on the ground in Yemen?

Bukhaiti: We have seen that the Saudis have imposed this blockade side by side with the UN Security Council and with the help of the United Nations as well. We remember that at the beginning of this war and as well after the invasion of Aden while ships full of arms and weapons were going to Aden, the Saudi and the United States and Britain and other countries have stopped all aid to come into Yemen, to come especially into the north of the country, they have destroyed almost all power stations, they have targeted all hospitals, for example in Sa’ada Province they have as well targeted three hospitals that were under Doctor Without Borders, they have bombed the only oil terminal north of the country in Hudaydah port, so all these with this blockade is suffocating the country.

People in Yemen who always go in their thousands every month to get medical treatment outside Yemen are now not allowed to go anywhere because we have only three to four planes a week and can you imagine for over 20 million people in Yemen we have this amount of planes and still people are suffering in Yemen with no water, no electricity, whatsoever across the country.  

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