Saudi-backed Yemen’s govt accuses Houthis of covering up coronavirus outbreak, calls for global assistance

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government accused the Houthi movement of covering up a big outbreak of coronavirus in areas it holds. The Aden-based government also called for urgent global assistance to help Yemen’s war-ravaged health sector deal with Covid-19, Reuters said.

The United Nations warned that the country could suffer a “catastrophic” food security situation due to the pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is spreading undetected among the population in the country, control of which is divided between the government in the south and the Houthi group in the north.

The government has reported 128 infections and 20 deaths linked to the coronavirus across nine of Yemen’s 21 provinces. The Houthis, who hold most large population centers, have announced four cases and one death, all in the capital Sanaa.

The UN envoy to Yemen said on Thursday that significant progress has been made toward cementing a temporary truce prompted by the pandemic and to pave the way for a resumption of stalled peace talks.