Al-Malki: Coalition condemns Houthis’ threats to civilians, aid workers’ lives

RIYADH — The official spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Col. Turki Al-Malki, while casting light on the comprehensive humanitarian operations in Yemen, also reiterated the condemnation of the threats the Houthi rebels pose to the lives of civilians and aid workers.

The spokesman also highlighted continuous role of the Coalition in Restoration of Hope in Support of Legitimacy in Yemen while castigating Houthi interventions and threats to the regional and international security. He also stressed the targeting of Houthi capabilities inside Yemen and the Yemeni national army support operations in his media conference on Tuesday.

In his periodical weekly press conference of the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition, here, Col. Al-Malki valued the recent achievements, citing the inspection tour by the Yemeni Minister of Information of the liberated areas accompanied by a media delegation in addition to a number of groups from a number of provinces, including Hajja, Saada, Sanaa and Al-Baida provinces.

He confirmed that the Coalition condemns the threats the Houthi militias pose to the lives of civilians and International Relief Workers in Yemen. He cited the statement issued by the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) in which it said that the workers in the field have faced life-threatening hostile acts.

The Coalition condemns such threats posed by Houthi militias, underscores the importance of enforcing the humanitarian and international law as regards the protection of relief personnel and workers in embattled zones, he said.

He added, "We are continuously working with the ICRC to provide the best environment and circumstances for the work of UN organizations."

Col. Al-Malki added: "No doubt the popular mood throughout Yemen goes against the Houthi militias' behaviors and hostile acts in all governorates."

He went on to say that, concerning the humanitarian operations, all 22 air, sea and land relief inlets are still working at their full capacity to allow the entry of the necessary items as well as relief items of the UN and other international organizations.

"As you might notice, as many as 25,472 air, sea and land permits and 10,688 non-targeting orders have so far been issued reflecting the keenness of the Coalition to remain committed to the protection of personnel and relief caravans inside Yemen, contrary to the Houthi militias’ acts, which threaten the lives of relief personnel and workers in Yemen," Al-Malki said, adding, that all Yemeni seaports are working at their full capacity.

Col. Al-Malki said the assistance provided by King Salman Center for Humanitarian Assistance and Relief Aid, as part of the comprehensive humanitarian operations in Yemen, have till date benefited 4,791,792 Yemeni citizens.

He explained that the Houthi militias are systematically attempting to smuggle money and forged passports into Yemen. In this regard, he said, as much as 5,750,000,000 Yemeni Riyals equivalent to more than $22 million, as well as 5,297 counterfeit passports were confiscated as they were being sent to the Houthi militias in Saada.

The passports are used to enable Houthi leaders and their families to travel outside Yemen while the smuggled money is used to dump the local market with valueless money, pay the salaries of newly-recruited enlists, including children and other fighters, and create a black market to assist what they call the "military campaign”.

Al-Malki said the Houthi violations are still going on in the province of Saada, the platform of ballistic missiles and the destination of smuggled missiles from outside Yemen, in launching ballistic missiles.

During the period, four ballistic missiles were fired towards the Kingdom, with one falling inside Yemeni territories, he said, adding, progress achieved by the Yemeni national army, supported by the Coalition, is continuing with successes on the ground and at all fronts of the battle.

He said the number of ballistic missiles and projectiles launched toward the Kingdom amounted to 149 missiles and 66,315 projectiles. – SPA