Yemeni Minister of Works: Our Projects Include Areas Controlled by the Coup

In this Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 photo, a Yemeni vendor displays honey for sale in a shop in Sanaa, Yemen. (AP)
In this Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 photo, a Yemeni vendor displays honey for sale in a shop in Sanaa, Yemen. (AP)
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Yemeni Minister of Works: Our Projects Include Areas Controlled by the Coup

In this Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 photo, a Yemeni vendor displays honey for sale in a shop in Sanaa, Yemen. (AP)
In this Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 photo, a Yemeni vendor displays honey for sale in a shop in Sanaa, Yemen. (AP)

A minister in Yemen’s legitimate government said that infrastructure projects in Yemen would also cover areas controlled by the coup forces, in response to claims that reconstruction works were carried out exclusively in regions that are under government’s authority.

Yemeni Minister of Public Works, Dr. Moeen Abdul Malik, underlined on saturday the presence of projects in the areas under the control of the coup forces, such as an urbanization project, with emergency intervention and waste transportation. These projects were carried out in Sanaa, Hodeidah and Aden, according to the minister, noting that works included rehabilitation of roads and the provision of basic electricity services in hospitals.

“We offer projects related to environmental sanitation that deal with the conditions of the population because the coup militia treats citizens as hostages and does not care about environmental sanitation projects or budgets for operating hospitals,” he stated.

The Yemeni minister emphasized the importance of transport projects as “they reduce the delivery cost of basic materials such as water and other services, adding that his ministry was now in a better situation, due to the mobilization of revenues from oil derivatives.

“The rehabilitation of the roads started with the restoration of some 84 square kilometers. The road has been rehabilitated, including repairing some of the bridges,” he stated, explaining that the main line that has been reconstructed was witnessing continuous flow of traffic.

Last week, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen launched a new humanitarian operation that includes qualitative initiatives, which are not limited to financial support, but extend to the development of infrastructure to increase the capacity to receive aid by air, sea and land, quickly and effectively.



UN Rights Chief Arrives in Syria for First Ever Visit

Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 6, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 6, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
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UN Rights Chief Arrives in Syria for First Ever Visit

Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 6, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 6, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk arrived in Syria's capital, Damascus, on Tuesday for the first ever visit of the global body's rights chief to the country.

Turk, an Austrian lawyer, will visit Syria and Lebanon from Jan. 14-16 and meet with officials, civil society groups, diplomats and UN bodies, the UN statement said, without giving further details.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was driven from power by a lightening opposition offensive last month, ending 50 years of family rule and raising hopes for accountability for crimes committed during Syria's more than 13 year civil war.

According to Reuters, under Assad, many UN officials and rights groups were denied access to the country to investigate alleged violations.

A spokesperson for Turk's office did not immediately provide further details of how many times he or his predecessors had tried to gain access to the country. The role of High Commissioner for Human Rights was created in 1993.