Houthis say Saudis sending COVID-19 cases to Yemen

SANA’A

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed Thursday that Saudi Arabia is sending Yemenis back to Yemen who were infected in the Kingdom with the novel coronavirus.

According to pro-Houthi Al-Masirah television, the Houthis have identified those who were infected and are making efforts to control and arrange their arrival.

Saudi Arabia has not issued any statements on the matter.

The accusation comes after Yemen decided to seal its only remaining border crossing with Saudi Arabia to prevent a coronavirus outbreak in the war-ravaged country.

Yemeni authorities decided to close the al-Wadia border crossing with Saudi Arabia from Wednesday until further notice, sources at the border told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Al-Wadia remains the only transit point between the two countries after other border crossings were closed due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen since September 2014.

Yemen has not reported any coronavirus cases so far.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sana’a.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

*Writing by Davut Demircan