11 Apr 2015, 03:06 pm Print
“We should not forget that the current conflict in Yemen takes place against the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis of a protracted nature and of a size and a complexity which is amongst the largest in the world,” said Johannes van der Klaauw told the press in Geneva.
“That was already the case before, and this current conflict has aggravated the situation and has made the population increasingly vulnerable,” he added.
The ground attacks and airstrikes which has now spread to most of the country is quickly unravelling “anything there was left” of basic services including health care, safe water and availability of food.
Already before the latest escalation of the conflict, 16 million of the 25 million Yemenis required, and are requiring, humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs. As I said, the conflict is aggravating the needs of the most vulnerable and putting others at grave risk.
“Ordinary Yemeni families are struggling to access health care, water, food and fuel –commodities that are basic requirements for their survival,” the Humanitarian Coordinator said.
Thousands of Yemeni families have had to flee as a result of the fighting, and we see now the regional dimension of the flows out of Yemen into Djibouti and the autonomous parts of Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland.
Civilian infrastructure, including schools, health facilities, markets, power plants and warehouses has been damaged and disrupted by the fighting. Shortages of food and fuel are now being reported across the country.
Health facilities are also under great strain: they lack fuel for the generators and water necessary to maintain basic operations. There is an urgent need for support to mass casualty management, including trauma kits and other medical supplies.
“We do our utmost to deliver life-saving assistance and protection services, to the extent possible, through our national UN staff and the national staff of international NGOs [non-governmental organizations], as well as through a strong network of national community-based NGOs,” Johannes van der Klaauw said.
Thus far, humanitarian partners have provided medical supplies and trauma kits for 18 hospitals throughout Yemen. And Yemeni national staff working for the United Nations and international organizations are risking their lives to deliver life-saving assistance to people in need.
The Humanitarian Coordinator urged all parties to the conflict to ensure that civilians are protected and that the civilian infrastructure is protected.
“We must be able, as aid workers, to safely deliver this life-saving assistance in all affected areas in Yemen. To this end, I have been calling, and doing it again this morning, on all the parties for an immediate humanitarian pause in this conflict,” he said.
At the same press conference, several UN agencies briefed journalists on the situation in Yemen regarding health facilities, the status of refugees, children and food security.
Adrian Edwards, for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), reported a rise in people fleeing by boat across the Gulf of Aden to countries in the Horn of Africa – historically a major route travelled by refugees and migrants headed in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that the conflict continues to exact a heavy toll on children. Thousands of families across the country had left their homes in search of safer places and hospitals and are under increasing pressure as they struggle to manage mass casualties with little supplies.
The conflict is also threatening the country’s already fragile food security, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned, expressing alarm that food and fuel shortages could push even more people into hunger in a country where more than 10 million people are already suffering from food insecurity. WFP is continuing to work where through its 185 national staff and its partners to
Photo: UNHCR/F. Van Damme
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