Transport sector losses during 9 years of US-Saudi aggression exceed $13.5 Billion

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Yemen’s Ministry of Transport disclosed on Sunday that the cumulative losses in the transportation sectors during the nine years of the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression and the blockade on Yemen have surpassed $13.5 billion.

During a press conference, the Ministry of Transport detailed that the losses in the aviation sector amounted to approximately $7 billion, while those in the maritime sector exceeded $5.5 billion, and the losses in the land sector were estimated to be around $1 billion.

Transport Minister Major General Abdulwahab Al-Dura, speaking during the conference, urged for the full and unconditional reopening of Sana’a International Airport to all international destinations, in accordance with the commitments outlined by the United Nations in the 2018 Stockholm Agreement. He also emphasized the necessity of rehabilitating the port of Hodeidah.

Furthermore, Al-Dura called for the unrestricted opening of all major roads throughout Yemen, asserting Sana’a’s readiness for such actions. He stressed that the Saudi-backed party must demonstrate good intentions and prioritize the public interest over personal gains to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.

US Impedes International Navigation

Meanwhile, the Minister of Transport highlighted that maritime routes to any port worldwide are secure via the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, excluding those linked with the Israeli enemy.

Al-Dura elaborated that more than 5,530 ships traversed the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb during the first quarter of 2024.

He noted that the US holds international navigation security hostage by insisting on permitting Israeli ships to pass through without halting the aggression and blockade on Gaza.

Al-Dura affirmed that the US employs intimidation tactics and militarizes the Red Sea, resorting to false propaganda to safeguard Israeli navigation.

Saudi Arabia, backed by the United States and regional allies, launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, claiming the goal of bringing the government of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi back to power.

The US-Saudi aggression continues to target neighborhoods and populated areas and destroy the infrastructure and capabilities of the country, in light of a suspicious international silence.

The war has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead and displaced millions more. It has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases there.