Yemeni demonstrators call for formation of government

Rasa - Yemeni people have held a rally in the capital Sana’a to call for an immediate formation of a government in the face of a Saudi military campaign against the impoverished nation.

News ID: 424930

Date: 10 November 2016 - 20:41

People converged on a main square on Wednesday to express support for the formation of a government to help put an end to the Saudi aerial, naval and ground attacks as well as its blockade of the country.

“Amid the brutal Saudi aggression, the formation of a government of technocrats to run the country during these difficult circumstances has become necessary,” a demonstrator told in an interview.

The demonstrators also denounced a peace initiative put forward by US Secretary of State John Kerry, saying it amounted to a call for “surrender.”

“The US and Saudi Arabia are complicit in the war and blockade against the Yemeni people. We do not trust them anymore,” said another demonstrator.

In August, Kerry called on the Houthis to hand over their weapons including ballistic missiles and to pull back from the capital in return for a share in a future unity government.

Yemen has been under Saudi attacks since March 2015 in an attempt to bring back the former Yemeni government to power and undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

More than 10,000 Yemenis have been killed since the start of the military campaign, according to the UN.

On Wednesday, two civilians were killed and nine others injured in Saudi airstrikes in the Sana’a province. Warplanes carried out attacks against several areas, including a highway in the Manakhah district.

The impoverished Arab country is grappling with shortages of food and the outbreak of diseases. The UN children’s fund (UNICEF) says 7.4 million Yemeni children are in dire need of medical help, and 370,000 run the risk of severe acute malnutrition.

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