Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Official Web Site
TAIZ-SABA
Governor of Taiz Nabil Shamsan discussed Monday with UN Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, who visits Taiz currently, humanitarian situations and suffering of Taizi people over Houthi militia’s triggered war on the province.
Governor Shamsan welcomed the UN envoy, who initiated the first visit by a UN envoy for seven years, to inspect people’s conditions and situations in the province closely and see himself the destruction and the siege imposed by Houthi terrorist militia on the city.
The visit and meetings with all political components will be appreciated by Taizi people, who are waiting for fruitful results of considering Taiz issue in negotiations and UN envoy’s briefings and conveying the voice of Taiz, which demands lifting the siege and basic rights, to international community.
Shamsan reviewed situations and different types of humanitarian suffering, which include continuous shelling of populated neighborhoods by Houthi militia, killing children, women and aged people, in addition to depriving people of Taiz from drinking water, targeting power stations and hospitals and seizing 97 percent of the province’s revenues.
The militia is planting landmines in roads, controlling the main road of Aden-Taiz and imposing double customs and taxes on goods, said Shamsan.
He touched upon possible contribution by the United Nations to alleviate suffering of the people through opening main roads, easing transportation and transporting goods, providing services to people, operating Makha Port and Makha Steam Power, doing maintenance work to roads and operating wells under Houthi militia’s control to provide people with water.
For his part, the UN envoy expressed pleasure for visiting Taiz Province and meeting with officials and all political components and civil society organizations in the city, which is the second greatest city in terms of population and witnesses political, cultural and civic activities as a province unique in embracing different political spectrum.
I crossed the road to Taiz and I myself experienced suffering of the people and saw other different types of suffering, mainly severe suffering over transportation, access to services, and getting goods as these suffering is greater than those we see across Yemen, he said.
He confirmed understanding of people suffering over continuous shelling and losing victims and most recently the shelling that killed three members of one family.
” There must be a concentration on what is happening in Taiz,” said the UN envoy.
” The visit to Taiz aims at reaching an inclusive political settlement to end conflict in Yemen and its impacts, which create big challenges before provision of basic services within finding sustainable solutions to Taiz and Yemen as a whole,” he said.
We are looking forward to seeing an end to this conflict from all parties and entering in a political settlement includes all and allows Yemen to recover as we are experiencing a sensitive and difficult stage, which may impose new changes and thus all political, military and security parties need a sustainable solution and we must focus on economic situation which evokes fears of Yemeni people, he added.
After the meeting, the UN envoy held a press conference in which he confirmed that his meetings with Taiz’s local authority, political parties and civil society organizations were fruitful and positive as they included discussions on different issues and situations in Taiz.
Peace in Yemen is considered a big battle but we must go through peaceful solution and Taizi people have experienced this track, he said.
We will convey many issues and files to the United Nations regarding opening roads and provision of basic services and transfer Taiz political experience, which reminds us with a Yemeni state based on political and civil multiplicity, said UN Envoy for Yemen Grundberg.