Saudi-led coalition seizes another Yemen-bound fuel ship in violation of UN-brokered ceasefire

The Yemen Gas Company (YGC) says the Saudi-led coalition waging war on the country has seized yet another Yemen-bound fuel ship in blatant violation of the UN-brokered ceasefire.

The fuel ship, Lady Sarah, was seized on Wednesday while carrying 8,230 tons of gas, Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television website reported, citing a statement by the YGC.

The latest seizure has “brought the number of the Yemen-bound fuel ships confiscated to three,” the statement added, but did not mention the exact time frame.

The statement said that the Lady Sarah, like other fuel ships confiscated by Saudi forces, had been inspected and obtained United Nations clearance to enter Yemen.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Abdulsalam, the chief negotiator of Yemen’s National Salvation Government, said that the Saudi-led coalition is not maintaining the truce properly and is instead “killing time which is not accepted by our nation.”

Over the past one and a half years, the Saudi-led coalition has held dozens of ships, blocking Yemen’s much-needed fuel imports amid a crippling siege.

The act of maritime piracy has deteriorated the humanitarian situation in Yemen, while a significant part of the country’s vital sectors, including hospitals as well as electricity and water services, has already come to a halt.

Saudi Arabia launched the devastating war against Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration with a number of its allies and with arms and logistics support from the US and several Western states.

It aimed to return to power the former Riyadh-backed regime and crush the popular Ansarullah resistance movement, which has been running state affairs in the absence of an effective government in Yemen.

Despite killing tens of thousands of Yemenis and turning entire Yemen into the scene of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the Saudi-led coalition failed to fulfill its goals.

Yemen’s initial two-month UN-backed truce started at the beginning of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on April 2 and was extended for another 2-month on June 2.

In line with the agreement, the coalition agreed to end its attacks on Yemeni soil and end a simultaneous siege that it has been enforcing against Yemen.

However, it has violated the truce on several occasions by attacking the war-battered country, canceling flights, and confiscating fuel ships, to name a few.

Figures announced by Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population show that by June 30, since the beginning of the ceasefire, some 387 civilians have been either killed or injured in Saudi-led coalition attacks.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir