The United Nations has called on Saudi Arabia to put an end to its devastating aerial bombardment campaign against Yemen's western port city of Hudaydah, which serves as a primary entry point for humanitarian aid and fuel for the impoverished conflict-ridden Arab country.
The UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, told reporters in the Jordanian capital city of Amman on Thursday that Hudaydah, located 150 kilometers southwest of the capital Sana'a, was a vital lifeline for millions of Yemenis, who were facing starvation.
“This port is the most essential, the most crucial part of our ability to feed people and get medical services into Yemen. The Hudaydah port is the only port that we can use to serve the bulk of the population in need,” the senior UN official said.
McGoldrick further expressed hope that participants at a forthcoming high-level pledging event in the Swiss city of Geneva next week would honor their promises and pay their share for the $2.1 billion that the UN needed to prevent an impending humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in the past two years in an attempt to restore power to the fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
Some 11,000 Yemenis, including women and children, have lost their lives in the deadly military campaign.
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