Newborn Yemeni conjoined twins whose plight sparked a plea for urgent medical treatment overseas died in Sanaa Saturday, rebels in the blockaded capital said. Abdelkhaleq and Abdelrahim were born outside Sanaa around two weeks ago and shared a kidney and a pair of legs but had separate hearts and lungs. Huthi rebels, who have been fighting the Saudi-backed government since 2014, blamed a Riyadh-led military coalition for the deaths after “refusing to open Sanaa airport to allow them to get treatment”, according to the rebels’ media statement on Saturday. Rebel-held areas of Yemen have been under blockade by a Saudi-led military coalition since it intervened in support of the beleaguered government in March 2015. The Saudi-led coalition has severely restricted flights to and from Sanaa and shipments through Hodeida.

Source: Egypt Independent February 10, 2019 13:18 UTC