Since 6 November 2017, the Arab alliance countries led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Yemen, causing a disruption of the arrival of food aid, medicines and fuel, which has led to the scarcity of these materials in the markets And in the cities of Hodeidah, Saada and Taiz, the scarcity of fuel has caused the disruption of sewage systems and the deprivation of about one million people of clean water. The scarcity of medicines threatens the lives of millions of civilians, especially since about one million Yemenis suffer from cholera and at least one million children are at risk of diphtheria as the spectre of famine hangs over millions of Yemenis due to the scarcity of food.
The Arab coalition countries, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are continuing to punish the Yemeni people and starve their children. They are putting themselves above all international agreements and treaties and all calls, including the UN appeal, to allow aid to be allowed to pass through and carry out their duties.
In the face of the inhuman situation in Yemen, we are alarmed by the daily calamities of the people of Yemen, such as cholera and other diseases, and the lack of food and lack of medicines. We, in AFD International consider the siege of Saudi Arabia on Yemen is a systematic, slow and collective punishment of the Yemeni people which goes against Article 75 of the Geneva Convention, And requires the intervention of the Security Council and the rest of the official international institutions to stop with the imposition of sanctions on the Arab alliance that fit the crimes committed against the people of Yemen.
Therefore, We, in AFD international, and in the face of these dangerous developments that are added to the aggression against the Yemeni people, declare the following:
The Arab alliance countries, especially Saudi Arabia, to lift the siege imposed on the Yemeni people, and allow the flow of essential goods to avoid the disaster of famine in Yemen.
To lift illegal restrictions on humanitarian personnel and allow them to return to Yemen and facilitate their work and mobility.
We call upon the international community to intervene urgently to force the Arab coalition countries to lift the siege and hold them accountable for their crimes on the defenseless Yemeni people.
Middle East and North Africa Department
AFD International
17 November 2017
