RIYADH: A spokesman for the coalition forces fighting to uphold legitimacy in Yemen has expressed regret over the statement delivered by the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, in which he appeared biased in favour of Al Houthi militias backed by Iran, intentionally calling them ‘de facto authorities’ contrary to relevant Security Council resolutions and United Nations statements.
The spokesman, quoted by the Saudi Press Agency, said the statement fits with the coordinator’s attempt to legitimise the coup militias in Yemen in a continued endeavour to ‘mislead’ international public opinion by repeating reports circulated by media organs loyal to Al Houthis. The spokesman added that the coordinator had ignored communication channels available around the clock with the evacuation cell and humanitarian operations of the Arab Coalition Forces’ Command that could help him inquire about and verify the information he incorporated in his statement, an attitude which corroborates his pro-Al Houthi bias and his attempted politicising of the humanitarian work entrusted to him.
The coordinator has ignored what Al Houthi militias are doing, including crimes and violations against the Yemeni people, the latest of which were the killings, kidnappings and arrests involving the former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and hundreds of members of the General People’s Congress, their children and women as well as the targeting of civilians, the spokesman added.
He added that “this statement creates a constant state of uncertainty about the information and data on which the United Nations relies and undermines its credibility. Such misinformation was highlighted before by the coalition in previous statements, most recently in the report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.”
While deploring this biased stance, the spokesman underlined the need for the United Nations to reconsider the humanitarian mechanism and the efficiency of its staff in Yemen, asking the UN to monitor their performance again, calling on the United Nations to implement the proposals of the UN envoy Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad on the port of Hodeida, which have been rejected by Al Houthis and approved by the legitimate government.
He also stressed the commitment of the coalition to implement the provisions of international humanitarian law, especially on the protection of civilians and its keenness to improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people inflicted by the Iran-backed Al Houthi militias.
