UNSC meet today on Yemen crisis, Russia asks for break in airstrikes

People gather at the bombed site near an air force base to search for causualties in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 26, 2015 [Xinhua]

After facing difficulties in evacuating citizens from the capital city of war-torn Yemen, Russia has called for a UN Security Council meet to discuss a break in Saudi-led airstrikes against the middle-eastern nation.

The UNSC will hold a closed-door meet on Saturday to discuss a “humanitarian pause” to airstrikes, Russian officials said, seeking to spare civilians and foreign nationals from the deadly fighting.

“Russia is convening the UN Security Council for consultations to discuss the introduction of regular mandatory humanitarian pauses by the Saudi-led coalition forces that are delivering air strikes at Yemen’s territory,” spokesperson for Russia’s Permanent Mission to UN, Alexei Zaitsev said on Friday.

Some 300 Russian citizens aboard two separate planes were finally evacuated from war-torn Yemen on Friday. Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the Saudi Air Force prevented a Russian plane from entering Yemeni airspace on April 1, although it had sufficient guarantees from Saudi Arabia.

On Wednesday, the Russian Consulate General in Aden was also severely damaged amid Saudi-led coalition airstrikes against Yemen.

Vladimir Safronkov, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, will represent Moscow in the UN Security Council deliberations on Saturday.

The violence in Yemen has left more than 500 people dead and some 1,700 wounded, said UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos.

Last week, five Gulf states and Egypt started a series of airstrikes against the Shia Houthi rebels, who had seized the capital and large territories in the west of the country and have been fighting troops loyal to ousted Yemeni President, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Saudi Arabia took full control of the Yemen’s air and sea ports, allegedly to prevent arms coming in from abroad.

 

TBP and Agencies