The Yemeni authorities requested Russian assistance in the fight against coronavirus and have already sent a list of necessary equipment and medicines, the country’s ambassador to the Russian Federation, Ahmed Salem Al-Waheishi, told the reporters.
“I can’t ignore the position of Russia, which welcomed our ceasefire initiative, so that all efforts can be made to combat the coronavirus pandemic. We sent a list of necessary equipment and drugs. We are waiting for an answer if there is any answer”, – said the ambassador.
At the moment, only one case of infection has been confirmed in Yemen, however, Ahmed Salem Al-Waheishi noted that due to the military conflict in the country, the figures are not accurate. According to him, the Yemeni government has taken all necessary measures in accordance with WHO rules, the list of equipment necessary for the country includes ventilation devices, defibrillators, protective suits, more than a million respirators such as N95 and medical masks.
Since April 9, a two-week ceasefire has been operating in Yemen in response to the UN call for a global ceasefire amid the spread of the coronavirus, which was separately announced by the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
The military-political conflict in Yemen between the government and Hussite rebels from the Shiite Ansar Alla movement has been ongoing since 2014. Since March 2015, the military coalition of the Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia has been on the side of the government. In December 2018, the parties to the conflict in Yemen met for the first time in several years at a negotiation table organized under the auspices of the UN in Stockholm. They managed to reach a number of important agreements, in particular, on the exchange of prisoners, a ceasefire in Hodeida – a port city on the Red Sea – and its transfer to UN control.
However, the ceasefire agreement, which included, inter alia, the withdrawal of forces from occupied positions, is not fully implemented.