Oil Minister meets new UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen

Minister of Oil and Minerals, Ahmed Abdullah Daress, on Tuesday met in Sana’a with the new Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Yemen William David Gressly.

During the meeting, they reviewed the humanitarian conditions that the Yemeni people are experiencing as a result of the aggression and acts of maritime piracy and the continued detention of oil derivative ships by the US-Saudi aggression coalition.

Ahmed Abdullah stressed the importance for the United Nations to have a prominent role in pressuring the countries of aggression to release the oil ships, and said, “We place great hopes on the United Nations through the new official, to carry out its humanitarian duty and work to deliver oil derivatives to the Yemeni people to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.”

He showed that the current situation has become dangerous and the release of fuel vessels has become an urgent necessity that calls for urgent intervention to prevent the suspension of service sectors.

Indicating that the coalition forces are still holding 14 oil ships, including a ship loaded with diesel, and a ship loaded with domestic gas, for varying periods of time, up to eleven months.

Daress, indicated that the fines incurred by the Yemeni people for detaining fuel vessels, which amounted to more than $ 33 million during the year 2021 AD.

For his part, Gressly said that discussions were held with UNICEF, the World Food Program and a number of humanitarian organizations to work on the introduction of fuel ships and the need to provide oil derivatives to ensure the continuation of vital sectors in providing their services to citizens.