Asiri asks UN convoy to permanently monitor of Hodeida port not just visit
The UN convoy to Yemen should permanently monitor, and not just visit, the port cities of Yemen to ensure humanitarian aid is appropriately reaching its target audience, Arab coalition spokesperson Ahmad Asiri told Al Arabiya
Asiri’s comments come after a UN convoy from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) visited the port of Hodeida on Friday
“I do not think that visiting the port and taking pictures will enable the United Nations to know the reality of the port and the criminal practices taking place by the Houthi militias,” Asiri told Al Arabiya
His comments come following reports that the visit’s objectives were to oversee the mechanism of work at the port and verify statements from the coalition forces on the smuggling of illegal weapons to Houthi militias and turning the port into a military base
Reports have noted that the United Nations office in Yemen appear to have taken their first in directly supervising the port of Hodeidah
Asiri also confirmed to Al Arabiya that upcoming military operations will focus on ending efforts in Mokha – which allied forces regained earlier this year – and regaining control of the Khalid ibn Walid military camp from Houthi militias