Egypt denounces Houthi militia's hijacking of UAE-flagged cargo vessel off Yemeni Hodeidah

Egypt denounces Houthi militia's hijacking of UAE-flagged cargo vessel off Yemeni Hodeidah Tue, Jan. 4, 2022
CAIRO - 3 January 2022: Egypt denounced, on Monday, the Houthi militia's hijacking of a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo vessel off the Yemeni governorate of Hodeidah, said Egyptian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

“Egypt stresses that such terrorist operations pose a real threat to the freedom and safety of navigation in the Red Sea, in addition to constituting a flagrant violation of the rules of international law; while calling for the immediate release of the vessel,” the statement read.

“At (23:57) on Sunday (2nd January 2022), the Cargo Ship (RWABEE) sailing under the flag of the United Arab Emirates was targeted through 'piracy and hijacking' while sailing off the coast of Al Hudaydah Governorate," Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Brigadier General Turki Al Malki was quoted by Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as saying.

The UAE news agency (WAM) said that the ship was bound from the Island of Socotra and carrying medical equipment for establishing a field hospital in Jazan province. However, the Houthis’ Military Spokesperson Yahia Sarie said that the vessel was carrying military equipment.