Yemen calls for investigation into deadly shutdown

The Civil Aviation and Metrology Authority on Tuesday asked the international community and the United Nations to investigate the impact of the shutdown and destruction of Yemeni airports and a blockade by the Saudi-led coalition on the Yemeni people.
Spokesperson for the Authority, Mazen Ghanim, said the shutdown and destruction of airports and the blockade have resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe and affected the lives of millions of Yemeni people.
"The shutdown of Sanaa International Airport, which used to be a major lifeline in the country with more than 8 million people served by it, has led to the death of more than 10.000 patients who were in urgent need to travel for medical treatment abroad," he said.
"It has prevented 45.000 Yemeni people from returning from abroad. These people are stuck in limbo and want to come back home. In addition, there are hundreds of Yemenis stranded in transit countries after flights from and to Seiyun and Aden Airports were suspended or restricted," he said.
The continued shutdown of Sanaa airport since August 2016, destroying Yemeni airports, hindering the reopening of Seiyun Airport and restricting flights from and to Aden Airport represent a violation of the civil aviation law and human rights, he said.
Ghanim called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and put an end to violations of the countries of the Saudi-led coalition against the Yemeni people and to keep the civil aviation away from the conflict in order to save what can be saved of it.

Source: Saba News