Sanaa calls on UN to completely lift restrictions on Hodeida port

SANAA, Aug. 30 (YPA) – The Minister of Transport in the Sanaa government, Abdulwahab Al-Durra, confirmed on Wednesday that the conditions in Hodeida province are improving, but the recovery in Hodeida Port is still partial and limited.

Al-Durra explained, during his meeting with the United Nations redeployment team, that the activity of the port of Hodeida is limited to 35% of the 70% needs of the Yemeni population.

“We are facing difficulty in increasing the cost of transporting goods due to the delay in the port of Djibouti and the congestion of ships and delays,” he said, noting that the difference in the price of transport between the port of Aden and the port of Hodeida reaches $2,000 per container, in addition to the increase in marine insurance.

The Minister of Transport added that an objection was submitted to the Director of the United Nations Development Programme because the reductions were limited to some ports and excluded the Red Sea ports.

He pointed out that “the United Nations’ efforts must be comprehensive for all Yemeni ports, not just some.”

Al-Durra also called for restarting Hodeida airport, as it will give the province a great recovery, affirming that the airport is an important and vital facility not only for the province but for Yemen in general, and “it must be activated even for domestic flights to alleviate the suffering of patients and travelers.”

Regarding Sanaa International Airport, the Minister of Transport revealed that discussions with the United Nations office are still ongoing to return flights to Sanaa Airport after they were reduced to three flights.

In turn, the redeployment team confirmed that work is being done with the United Nations to rehabilitate the port of Hodeida, indicating that there are efforts to make the ports and airports in Yemen unrestricted.

YPA