Published on : 16/05/2022 – 09:51
A Yemenia plane took off Monday from Sanaa, the first commercial flight in six years from the capital of Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels, as part of a truce in the war that is ravaging the country.
A first in six years. A plane from the Yemenia company took off on Monday May 16 from Sanaa, the capital of Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels. Since April 2, the warring parties observe a national truce in the warwhich delivered the country to one of the worst humanitarian tragedies in the world.
The plane, which was heading for the Jordanian capital Amman, was carrying around 100 Yemeni passengers, most of them sick or elderly, AFP correspondents at Sanaa airport noted.
Houthi rebels took control of the Yemeni capital in 2014, sparking a bloody conflict with the recognized government by the international community and supported by a coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia, which intervenes in the Arab pas the poorest in the world to support loyalist forces.
This coalition controls all of Yemen’s air and maritime space, including the areas where the rebels have taken power, particularly in the North-West: only UN flights have so far been authorized at the airport of the capital since 2016.
The Houthis, close to Iran, accuse Riyadh of maintaining a “blockade” on Yemen, the Saudis saying they want to guard against arms smuggling and other clandestine activities.
But since April 2, the parties in conflict have observed a national truce which has given a rare glimmer of hope to a population of around 30 million, delivered to one of the worst humanitarian tragedies in the world. This truce provides, in addition to a relatively well-respected ceasefire, the gradual opening of Sanaa airport to commercial flights.
With AFP