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Yemen releases Turkey relief team after hours in detention

October 8, 2020 at 6:00 am

Civilians carry humanitarian aids distributed by Turkish Red Crescent in Tal Abyad, Syria on October 19, 2019. [Ömer Alven – Anadolu Agency]

Pro-United Arab Emirates (UAE) forces have released Turkish Red Crescent officials in Yemen, hours after arresting them in the southern province of Aden.

The Turkish Red Crescent tweeted on Wednesday that its team was released in Yemen: “After waiting for a while due to the necessary document procedures. They have resumed work to assist the Yemeni people.”

Yemeni sources stated that forces loyal to the Emirates on Tuesday evening arrested the Turkish Red Crescent mission team, and took them to the headquarters of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Aden governorate, south of the country.

Adviser to Yemen’s Information Minister Mukhtar Al-Rahbi stated that UAE-backed militias arrested President of the Turkish Red Crescent Mustafa Aydin and the organisation’s Financial Supervisor Alikan Budak, who are holders of Turkish nationality, in addition to a Yemeni translator, and took them to the headquarters of the Arab Coalition in Aden.

Yemeni sources confirmed that the arrests took place on Tuesday evening at a checkpoint in Al-Tawahi district, south of Aden.

The Turkish Red Crescent’s last humanitarian action in Aden occurred last Saturday, as the organisation team delivered school supplies to orphan students in the city of Mualla, according to a press statement published on the organisation’s official Twitter account.

The statement informed that the Turkish Red Crescent mission delivered food, school bags and supplies to orphans in five Yemeni governorates including Aden, Abyan, Shabwah, Hadhramaut and Ma’rib.

READ: Turkey sends rescue and healthcare teams to Beirut 

During the past weeks and months, the Turkish Red Crescent mission has been subjected to a widespread incitement campaign launched by the Emirati and Saudi-backed media, accusing them of engaging in political and intelligence activities under the guise of humanitarian work.

The Turkish Red Crescent and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency are extensively active in the areas controlled by the legitimate Yemeni government, especially in the governorates of Aden, Shabwah and Taiz.

The city of Aden and some southern regions have been controlled by the UAE-backed forces of the Southern Transitional Council since August 2019, who turned against the internationally-recognised government and expelled its units from the city, with the help of the Saudi-led coalition.