Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar al-Eryani said on Monday that the Houthi group detained a plane belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Sana’a airport, prevented its departure, and detained the pilot and his co-pilot.
Al-Eryani added, in a statement, that the group “has taken the step of detaining the International Committee of the Red Cross plane at Sana’a airport, prevented its departure, and detained the pilot and his co-pilot as hostages,” considering this “a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and all international norms and conventions that guarantee the protection of humanitarian missions and their workers.”
The Yemeni minister considered that this step “reaffirms that the Houthi militia does not recognize any legal or humanitarian obligations, and does not hesitate to use humanitarian institutions and their employees as tools for blackmail and political pressure,” according to the statement.
He added that this would “undermine humanitarian work and endanger the lives of civilians and those in need of aid.”
Al-Eryani called on the ICRC, the United Nations, and the international community to condemn the incident, take urgent action to release the plane and its crew, hold those responsible accountable, and put an end to what he described as “continuous violations” against humanitarian work in Yemen.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthi group or the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding what the Yemeni Minister of Information stated.
