Saudi-led coalition denies deporting 800 Somalis to Yemen

RIYADH, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-led coalition on Sunday rejected as "baseless" the allegation of the Houthis militia that the kingdom deported 800 Somalis to Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Instead, Turki Al Maliki, the coalition spokesman, accused the Houthis of forcefully deporting more than 8,000 Africans, including children and women, from Yemen to Saudi borders in April.

Saudi Arabia had provided the deportees with the required aid, he noted.

Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia announced that it would host an online conference on June 2 in cooperation with the United Nations to attract financial support for Yemen.