Coalition 'controls' on Yemen strand thousands

Leaving Yemen is now an unattainable dream for Abdulsalam Khaled, despite being awarded a scholarship to pursue his education in India, because of a Saudi-led coalition "control" on movement.
He is just one of thousands of people inside and outside Yemen who have been blocked from entering or leaving the war-torn country.
The 34-year-old had been hoping to obtain a master's degree in English-language studies, but all he can do now is wander the streets of Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa, lamenting his bad luck.
"Because the airport is closed, I'm now stuck and can't travel," he said, showing AFP his scholarship documents.

"There are other airports in Yemen I could have flown from, but unfortunately we can't reach them because of security problems."
Yemen has been rocked by conflict since Iran-backed rebels overran Sanaa and other large parts of the country, prompting military intervention by a Saudi-led coalition in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.

The coalition has since enforced maritime and air controls over what was already the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country.
Coalition spokesman Major General Ahmed Assiri today denied that there was a "blockade" on Yemen.
"No, there is no blockade," he told AFP. "There is control based on international law" to prevent the rebels from obtaining arms.

Several rounds of UN-brokered peace talks aimed at ending the war have been fruitless.
Sanaa international airport was shut when the coalition resumed air strikes on August 9 around the city after the last round of peace talks in Kuwait collapsed.
It reopened days later, but only for humanitarian flights which have to notify the coalition in advance.
Before August 9, the sole operator still serving Sanaa -- national carrier Yemenia -- ran only a few scheduled commercial flights to Amman, Cairo and Nairobi.
"There are thousands of cases -- students, patients, passengers and many others cannot travel," said Sanaa airport chief Khaled al-Shayef. Many people have also been stranded outside the country, unable to return home.

Mazen al-Soufi, who directs air traffic at the facility, spoke of "huge damage" caused by the airport's closure.
"More than 20,000 people stuck outside Yemen want to come home," he told AFP.
"Many people in critical medical condition die every day because of the siege of Sanaa international airport," he added.