Geneva, 2 August 2017 - The Saudi-led coalition has prevented delivery of fuel to UN planes that provide humanitarian aid to Yemen, a senior UN official said on Tuesday.

The United Nations uses two humanitarian air crafts that make connections with Jordan and Djibouti. However, because of the Saudi-led coalition, there is no fuel available in the Yemeni capital to allow them to leave.

"We have difficulties in obtaining the agreement of the coalition and the government of Yemen to transport fuel to facilitate these humanitarian flights," Lootsma, a Yemen representative of UNDP, told reporters in New York, surprised by the blockade because the fuel was to be managed by the Yemen government backed by Saudi Arabia.

The coalition has already been accused in the past of blocking humanitarian aid to Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries in the world. Entering the third year of Saudi invasion, Yemen is one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

Famine and diseases are decimating the population where at least 18 million people are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. More than one million children are at risk of cholera as the disease is spreading at jet speed.

The health system in Yemen collapsed after the Saudi led invasion. The situation is very dark and several cases of meningitis have been detected in the country.

The delivery of humanitarian aid was also hampered by delays and refusal of visas.

The war in Yemen has left more than 8,000 dead since 2015, almost all civilians, and more than 44,500 wounded, according to the UN.

ICSFT strongly condemns the Saudi-led invasion and genocide in Yemen and urges the Saudi coalition to stop the massacre, as well as destroying infrastructures and deteriorating the health system. ICSFT calls for the international community and all relevant stakeholders to put an end to this hell on earth.

International Council Supporting Fair Trial and Human Rights