Oxfam slams ‘medieval’ Saudi-led blockade

Yemen is being pushed ever closer to famine after 1,000 days of Saudi Arabian-led war and “medieval” blockade, says an international charity group.

 

Yemen is being pushed ever closer to famine after 1,000 days of Saudi Arabian-led war and “medieval” blockade, says an international charity group.

“For 1,000 days, huge amounts of sophisticated modern weapons have pounded Yemen, and on top of that, we are now witnessing a medieval siege where mass starvation is being used as a weapon of war,” Mark Goldring, Oxfam Great Britain’s chief executive, said on Wednesday.

“Cutting off vital food, fuel and medicine to a population is never justified and should never be tolerated. It is tactic that is devoid of any sense of decency, any sense of morality and any sense of humanity,” he said.

He said some of the countries that have been supporting the Saudi-led war by selling arms to Saudi Arabia are starting to voice concern.

Oxfam has warned that more than 8.4 million Yemenis are now at acute risk of famine due to Saudi Arabia’s crippling blockade of Yemen’s key ports, which is causing a halt to the delivery of food, fuel, and medicine.