UN wants Saudi-led siege on Yemen fully lifted

“That blockade has been partially wound down but not fully wound down. It needs to be fully wound down if we are to avoid an atrocious humanitarian tragedy involving the loss of millions of lives, the like of which the world has not seen for many decades,” he said, Reuters reported.

The coalition eased the blockade this week, allowing aid ships into the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Salif, as well as UN flights to Sana’a.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have been ceaselessly pounding Yemen since March 2015. The Saudi-led coalition has also maintained an embargo on the already-impoverished country since then.

UN humanitarian officials have said Yemen cannot rely on humanitarian aid alone but must have commercial imports too, because it relies on imports for the vast majority of its food, fuel and medicine.

“I’ve called for five things in respect of the Saudi blockade,” Lowcock said. “Some of them have happened like the resumption of humanitarian air services, like partial reopening of the ports of Hodeidah and Saleef on the Red Sea. What I’m interested in is finding solutions.”

According to a 2015 UN Security Council resolution on Yemen, “arbitrary denial of humanitarian access and depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supply and access, may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.”

Lowcock, launching the UN’s humanitarian appeal for 2018 said the world body had consistently called on all sides to uphold their obligations.

“It is absolutely essential that people uphold their international obligations. Wars have rules and they need to be complied with,” he said.