TEHRAN (FNA)- Naseh Shaker, Journalist and Political Commentator, says the humanitarian crisis in the impoverished Arab country is manmade and the Yemenis are being starved, not starving.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with FNA, Naseh Shaker said Riyadh uses starvation and outbreak of diseases as a means of making the Yemeni resistance surrender.
Commenting on UN-distributed food and medications, the Yemen-based journalist said rerouting the ships containing humanitarian aids to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Djibouti for investigation prior to their delivery to the port city of Hudaydah increases the shipment costs, to the extent that people can hardly afford them.
Naseh Shaker is a journalist and political commentator based in Yemen's capital, Sana'a. He has conducted reports and wrote for many international news outlets.
Below is the full text of the interview.
Q: Nearly half of Yemen’s population are on the brink of the worst famine in the past 100 years. Over 8 million Yemenis are in need of urgent food aid, as The UN states. These figures are too high to be believed to be the case, all in the same country. What is the real picture of Yemen in terms of famine and diseases?
A: The real picture these days is that Saudi death machine continues to claims lives. An instance of health-related issues is cholera. According to Yemen's Health Ministry, cholera victims have become over 2500 since its breakout in April. The number of infected (and the suspected) are over 1,300,000.
After almost 4 years of Saudi Arabia war on Yemen, it has failed to win the battle militarily. Saudi Arabia has been using cholera and starvation as a weapon to force Yemenis to surrender, but this won't happen. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen a manmade catastrophe; Yemenis are being starved, not starving. The Saudi regime uses starvation to humiliate people of Yemen.
The UN must act to stop this tragedy. This is the only reason that Yemeni National Negotiating Delegation is attending UN-sponsored talks in Sweden. The delegation is demanding halt of the death machine and stopping starvation, as well as an end to the full-scale sea, land and air blockade, to end the suffering of the civilians. Otherwise, there is no real consultations while the US-manufactured Saudi terror warplanes continue to claims civilians lives.
Q: Hudaydah, Yemen’s only conduit to the outside world, is frequently targeted by Saudi Arabia and its allies. Why does Saudi Arabia keep pounding the city?
A: Saudi Arabia has found it necessary to close the Hudaydah port to starve all Yemenis. Saudi Arabia claims it attacks the port to stop smuggling Iranian missiles to Ansarallah fighters; but, it allows the jet fighters to target Yemeni civilians. Saudi brutality is proven when it sent two jets full of murderers to kill Khashoggi in Turkey, the same as it sends warplanes to kill Yemeni civilians on a daily basis. But, the question is if the UN medications and food can hardly be shipped to Hudaydah port, how can missiles be imported from the same path?
Q: The UN and other international organizations claim they are working to import humanitarian aid to the Yemen. Food and medications are considered humanitarian aid; though access to them is highly restricted. Why are there famine and shortage of medications in existence in the country?
A: There is no fair delivery of aid. What the UN does not want to let the world know is that none of its ships, nor others’ commercial ships, can enter Yemen except after being sent to the UAE for inspection, then to Jeddah of Saudi Arabia for inspection, and the last inspection by the Saudi coalition at Djibouti. Then the ships can head to Hudaydah port. This makes the food and medications so expensive that people cannot afford anymore. For instance, as the WFP has confirmed, one simple plate of beans costs $62. The WFP delivers only one package of food that costs $20 per month to each family
This creates famine, and people starve. Neither can people afford to reach hospitals. Saudi blocks import of oil and gas, making fuel too expensive. Salaries have not been paid for more than two years, and a majority of Yemenis, especially those residing in areas in control of Ansarallah, are now dependent on humanitarian aids.
Q: Save the Children, in its recent report, said almost 85,000 kids may have died of malnutrition during the war. It looks as if the Yemeni children are the main target of Saudi Arabia and its allies. What future do you think the Saudi regime is drawing for Yemen?
A: The number claimed by Save the Children is not accurate. The figure must be much higher. According to UNICEF’s report published on 12 December 2016, at least one child dies every 10 minutes due to malnutrition. So, there should be over 105,000 kids killed of malnutrition so far; let alone cholera victims and children killed in the Saudis' indiscriminate airstrikes.
What can be expected from a state which sees targeting a school bus full of children a "legitimate target". It killed 42 kids on school bus. Beside Saudi Arabia, only Daesh could do this. What add assault to injury is that the killers are free; they are never charged.
Saudi Arabia is like a thief, stealing our children's future. This is crime. We stress the need to secure the future and welfare of our children.
We still hope that Yemen and its children will have a brighter future, if the international community keeps pressuring the US to stop supporting the Saudi war on Yemen.
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