Rishi Sunak has been blamed for the first sinking of a vessel in the Red Sea by a senior Houthi leader as the terror group taunted the Prime Minister over George Galloway’s by-election victory.
The Belize-owned Rubymar sank early on Saturday morning after being hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile on February 18.
Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al Houthi said that Sunak and the UK Government were responsible for the sinking and the anticipated environmental consequences from the spilled fertiliser.
The militant leader also called on newly elected MP George Galloway to sign a letter of guarantee for relief trucks.
Rishi Sunak has been blamed for the first sinking of Belize-owned Rubymar in the Red Sea by a senior Houthi leader
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It comes after Galloway was elected MP for Rochdale following a campaign on causes related to the Middle East.
The MP said his victory was “for Gaza” and that he “despises” the prime minister.
Mohammed Ali al Houthi wrote on social media: “We say to Sunak you and your government bear responsibility Ship M/V Rubymar and the responsibility to support genocide and siege in Gaza.”
After falsely claiming the vessel was UK-owned, he added that Sunak has a “chance to salvage” it by “sending a letter of guarantee… signed by George Galloway, that the relief trucks agreed upon at that time would enter Gaza”.
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The sinking of the vessel has sparked environmental concern as Al-Sawalmih, director of the Marine Science Station at the University of Jordan, warns that the overload of nutrients from the fertiliser could see excessive growth of algae.
Sawalmih explained that this will starve the remaining marine wildlife of oxygen.
He said: “An urgent plan should be adopted by countries of the Red Sea to establish monitoring agenda of the polluted areas in the Red Sea as well as adopt a clean-up strategy.
The damage caused by the fertiliser will depend on how ocean currents will deplete the product.
Belize-owned Rubymar sank early on Saturday morning after being hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile on February 18
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Xingchen Tony Wang, assistant professor at the department of earth and environmental sciences at Boston College, added that how the fertiliser is released will also affect how the ocean is affected.
Yemeni foreign minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, wrote on social media: “The sinking of the Rubymar is an environmental catastrophe that Yemen and the region have never experienced before. It is a new tragedy for our country and our people.
“Every day we pay the price for the adventures of the Houthi militia.”
