UN council meets on Yemen after coalition blocks aid

The UN Security Council met behind closed doors Wednesday to discuss the crisis in Yemen after the Saudi-led military coalition closed the country's borders, halting vital aid deliveries.

The United Nations has raised alarm over the decision, which since Monday has grounded all UN humanitarian flights and prevented ships carrying food, medicine and other supplies from docking.

"We continue to be extremely worried about the situation in the country, where seven million people already face famine," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

"We can only imagine what will happen if the ports and entry points are not opened to both humanitarian and commercial traffic."

The council was to hear a briefing from UN aid chief Mark Lowcock who has returned from a visit to Yemen.

The United Nations considers Yemen to be the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with 17 million Yemenis in need of food, seven million of whom are at risk of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths.

On Tuesday, a Red Cross shipment of chlorine tablets, which are used for the prevention of cholera, was blocked at Yemen's northern border, the International Committee for the Red Cross said.

Sweden requested the council meeting, saying the top UN body must step up its focus on the humanitarian emergency.

"We hope that the council will be actively engaged going forward," said Sweden's Deputy UN Ambassador Carl Skau.

"All obstacles to humanitarian assistance must be removed," French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters as he headed into the meeting.

"We need the UN to get full humanitarian access into Yemen through Yemen's ports and airports," said British Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Allen, who described the situation as "extremely distressing."

- Lives at risk -

It appeared unclear whether the 15-member council -- which includes coalition allies the United States, Britain and France -- will put heavy pressure on the coalition to end the blockade.

"We'll see if there is a wish of the council to say something. We'll see if the council is able to do that," said Italian Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi, who holds the council presidency this month.

The Arab world's poorest country, Yemen is almost totally dependent on imports for food, fuel and medicine.

UN aid agencies and other relief organizations have said the border closures has led to a surge in prices of many goods.

French medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Wednesday that the coalition had denied clearance for its flights for the past three days, directly hindering its ability to provide life-saving aid.

"The broader impact of this blockade on the men, women and children of Yemen is already evident and it puts hundreds of thousands of lives at risk," said Justin Armstrong, MSF's head of mission in Yemen.

The medical aid organization works in 13 hospitals and health centers in Yemen and provides support to more than 18 other hospitals and clinics.

The Saudi-led Arab military coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after the Huthis forced him into exile.

The war has had a heavy toll on civilians, killing thousands and destroying the already weak health system.