Saudi Arabia given STARK WARNING over war in Yemen by 'FURIOUS' international community

According to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the civil war in Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with over 22.5million people or two-thirds of the population in desperate need of aid, food and protection.

Saudi Arabia has been bombing the country since 2015, and in November Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies strengthened pre-existing blockades on Yemeni ports, airports and borders crossings; restricting food, aid and vital supplies from entering the country.

The Saudi-led coalition have claimed these restrictions have since been lifted, but humanitarian worker Suze van Meegen, who recently visited the main port of Hodeida, described the port as a ‘wasteland’.

The UN Security Council warned last month that conditions in Yemen were further deteriorating as a result of ongoing bombing and blockades.

As the war enters its fourth year, Guterre noted that millions of Yemeni civilians lacked clean drinking water and were at very high risk of a cholera epidemic.

He said that over eight million Yemeni citizens were severely malnourished and “did not know where they would obtain their next meal,” and that children were dying from preventable causes at an alarming rate.

Saudi Arabia has been bombing Yemen since March 2015 in a bid to quash Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels who assumed power, and to restore the legitimate US-backed and pro-Saudi Yemen government to power.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Paris for a three-day trip starting on Sunday; the latest destination in a world-wide tour for the 32-year-old Prince and de-factor leader of Saudi Arabia.

International human rights groups have called on Macron to pressure Prince Mohammed to take action to protect the civilian population in Yemen and end the conflict.

A statement from Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, said: “Emmanuel Macron should put Yemen at the centre of his discussions with Mohammed bin Salman as he hosts him in France.

“As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it (France) must do its utmost to demand that Saudi Arabia respects its international obligations.”

The human rights groups also called for the “end of bombing of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law,” and the “unconditional and permanent lifting on restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid and commercial goods to Yemen”.

However, France, like the UK, is a major seller of arms to Saudi Arabia, and various rights groups have accused France of doing little to stop the flow of lethal weapons to the Saudi military campaign.

Prince Mohammed commented on Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the crisis last week at the UN in New York, saying: “We try as much as we can to solve the problems of the Middle East politically and if things get out of control, we try as hard as we can to avoid all the other impacts.”

And after presenting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with a cheque for $930 million (757 million euros) for humanitarian aid in Yemen, Prince Mohammed stated: “We will continue to comply, as we always have, with international law.”

The UK Government has itself announced a £170m aid package for Yemen, which would “meet the immediate needs” for 3.4million citizens, and provide enough food to feed a million people for over a year.

Alistair Burt, Minister for the Middle East, however warned that the imminent arrival of heavy rains could bring “another deadly outbreak of cholera”.