Protests demanding the release of oil ships have taken place in front of the United Nations office in the Yemeni capital have Sana’a.
Executive Director of Yemeni Petroleum Company (YPC), Ammar Al-Adra’i, confirmed that since the beginning of this year, the coalition forces have released only one oil ship, which represents less than seven percent of the actual need of the country in terms of fuel.
The director denounced what was stated by UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, in his misleading briefings to the UN Security Council, in which he linked the humanitarian needs, represented by fuel ships release and the opening Sana’a International Airport, to political and military negations. Al-Adra’i explained how the UN Envoy statement proves that “the United Nations is complicit in the piracy of Yemeni fuel ships.”
Director Al-Adra’i called on the UN Envoy to respect the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, which criminalises acts of piracy and obliges countries of the world to make utmost efforts to stop piracy against any country in world. He puts full responsibility on the United Nations and the coalition forces, led by the US, for the horrible humanitarian situation in Yemen.
A statement issued by trade union committees of the Yemeni Petroleum Company also renewed their demand to the United Nations to carry out its responsibilities towards the Yemeni people by pressuring the coalition forces to release detained fuel ships. It also renewed the call for the immediate lifting of the blockade of Sana’a International Airport and the Port of Ras Issa.
