Tue 01 June 2021:
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday accused Yemen’s Houthi rebels of blocking and suppressing information on the coronavirus outbreak in the war-torn country.
“Houthi officials have actively spread disinformation about the virus and vaccines,” the New York-based rights group said in a statement.
The rights watchdog also accused Houthis of hindering and undermining “international efforts to provide vaccines in areas under their control”.
“The deliberate decision of the Houthi authorities to keep the real number of cases of Covid-19 under wraps and their opposition to vaccines are putting Yemeni lives at risk,” said HRW’s deputy middle East director Michael Page.
“Pretending Covid-19 does not exist is not a mitigation strategy and will only lead to mass suffering.
“Given the weakened healthcare system in Yemen, Houthi authorities should at least ensure transparency so that civilians living in their areas can understand the scale of the pandemic and facilitate an international vaccination plan that meets the needs on the ground.” Yemen received 360,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 31, the first of 1.
According to HRW, Houthi health authorities reported only one fatality and four infections from COVID-19 since early 2021.
However, the rebels’ failure to cooperate with the World Health Organization and the Yemeni government has prevented any vaccines from reaching the north, HRW said citing a medical source with “direct knowledge of the circumstances”.
As a result, vaccinations have only been occurring in the government-held south.
HRW quoted Huthi officials as dismissing Covid-19 as a “conspiracy”.
“America bears the Primary responsibility for the Covid-19 epidemic,” it quoted rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi, as saying in a televised speech last year.
As of 31 March, Yemenis have received 360,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine as the first batch of 1.9 million doses the war-ravaged nation is supposed to receive in 2021.
Over the 7-year conflict in Yemen, the health sector in the country has been close to collapse amid the ongoing fighting between the Houthis and the Yemeni government forces.
According to UN estimates, the ongoing conflict in Yemen left almost 80% of the Yemeni people depending on international humanitarian aid.
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