Houthis accused of leaving thousands of Yemenis to die from COVID-19

In this Feb. 25, 2020 file photo, tribesmen loyal to Houthi rebels chant slogans during a gathering aimed at mobilizing more fighters for the Houthi movement in Sanaa, Yemen. (AP)

• Experts have warned that Yemen could face one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus disease

LONDON: The Houthis are leaving thousands of Yemeni COVID-19 patients in Sanaa and other areas under their control to die of the disease, the country’s information minister said on Thursday.
With its health services decimated by years of conflict, experts have warned that Yemen could face one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus disease.
The Iran-backed Houthis have been accused of covering up the extent of the outbreak in the territory under its control and of hampering aid operations.
Yemeni citizens who have the virus or are suspected of having it are staying at home out of fear they will be killed in hospital by “lethal injections” administered by Houthis, Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani said. 
Meanwhile, the Houthis have set up a field hospital in Sanaa’s Movenpick Hotel for its leaders and members who have the coronavirus. The militia have equipped the facility with respirators and medical equipment. 
They are also monopolising graves for their members in Sanaa’s city center, Al-Eryani said.
Field reports obtained by the Yemeni authorities reveal that hundreds of citizens have died from the coronavirus and thousands have been infected with it, Al-Eryani said.
He called on the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the international community to condemn these crimes and pressure the Houthis to be transparent about the spread of the disease.