STC Acting President Discusses Humanitarian-Focused Interventions of ICRC in Governorates of the South

Mr. Ali Abdullah Al-Kathiri, Acting President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Chairman of the National Assembly, met today, Tuesday, in his office with Ms. Christine Cipolla, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Yemen.

In the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Al-Kathiri welcomed Ms. Christine Cipolla, who is visiting the capital, Aden, for the first time since assuming the presidency of the ICRC in the country, and praised the significant role played by the ICRC and its humanitarian and relief interventions in various governorates of the South and other liberated areas.

The meeting, attended by Dr. Najeeb Qayid Fare'a, Head of the Department of International Organizations and Human Rights at the Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Authority (FEAA) of the STC, discussed the ICRC's programs, activities, and humanitarian interventions, with a particular focus on healthcare sector. In addition to mechanisms for challenges that may impede their workflow.

The meeting touched on the ways to provide more assistance amid the ongoing suffering of civilians due to the continued military escalation perpetrated by the Houthi terrorist militia and its frequent attacks on civilian targets in the border areas of the governorates of the South and liberated areas, and the role of the ICRC in advocating for the release of the four bodies of the one family prisoners executed by the Houthi militia recently in Al-Musaimir front in Lahj governorate was discussed, too.

Mr. Al-Kathiri shed light on the critical importance of meeting the most basic humanitarian needs, given the dire conditions faced by communities hosting the displaced, which suffer from a lack of services and economic hardship, highlighting the need for the world to recognize the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis faced by the people of the South and other liberated governorates, due to the violent acts of the Houthi militia and their frequent attacks on international maritime shipping lanes in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and on the frontlines, which have thwarted peace efforts and underscored the serious threat posed by this militia to the interests of the entire world.

Al-Kathiri also reiterated the commitment of the STC to supporting the humanitarian efforts of the ICRC and expressed its readiness to provide all required facilities to carry out its tasks efficiently and effectively, stressing the importance of close coordination and cooperation with the International Organizations and Human Rights Department at the FEAA and the Humanitarian Aid and Relief Commission (HARC) assisting the Presidium of the STC to implement the ICRC's plans and programs, as well as providing the necessary security protection for its workflow in the capital, Aden, and the governorates of the South.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Jörg Muntané, the former head of mission, Mr. Mahmoud Salah Abu Hasiba, head of the Aden delegation, and Mr. Bahaa Hassan Al-Salami, ICRC political advisor in the capital, Aden.