RIYADH: The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen exchanged information with the UN resident coordinator for the country on Houthi allegations surrounding a strike on Saada prison on Tuesday.
David Gressly was hosted by the coalition in Riyadh, and a specialized team from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen will visit the coalition soon to exchange additional information, Saudi Press Agency reported.
“We had a constructive meeting with the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly,” the coalition said.
In January, the coalition denied targeting a detention centre in Saada province, and said the facility that was hit was not a site restricted from strikes, Saudi Press Agency said.
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki has previously said the target in Saada was not on no-targeting lists agreed upon with the OCHA, was not reported by the ICRC, and did not meet the standards stipulated by the Third Geneva Convention for Prisoners of War.
Gressly also visited the headquarters of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center in Riyadh where he was hosted by General Supervisor Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly meets Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah in Riyadh. (SPA)
The two officials discussed the humanitarian situation in Yemen and relief efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.
They also discussed the environmental disaster that would be caused if the decaying oil storage vessel Safer, which is moored off the port of Hodeidah, was to leak.
On Sunday, the Houthis reneged on a deal concerning the tanker just hours after reaching an agreement with the UN.
Backtracking, the militia said the UN was guilty of “continued disregard of its obligations” over the tanker and accused the UN mission of wasting funds allocated for maintaining the vessel.
Gressly praised the very important humanitarian efforts made by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, and stressed the importance of its continuous support to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the country.
He added that OCHA and KSrelief are working together to find solutions to humanitarian challenges in Yemen, and expressed his appreciation for the Kingdom's contributions represented by the center.
Gressly also met with the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and they discussed Saudi and UN efforts to reach a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Yemen.
They also discussed ways to enhance joint coordination between the Kingdom and the UN to support efforts aimed at stopping violations carried out by the Houthi militia.
Meanwhile, the coalition said it had carried out strikes on Hajjah which resulted in the destruction of eight military vehicles and a number of Houthi deaths.
It added that the militia had fired three ballistic missiles to target civilians in Hajjah.
The coalition said it was launching an operation in Sanaa to deal with the sources of threats and weapon stores.
