Yemenis continue to suffer immensely as violence escalates unabated.    This week has seen some of the deadliest days recorded since the conflict escalated in March.  Mosques, schools and markets have been hit in attacks with deadly consequences for civilians.  Close to 1.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes in the desperate search for safety and security.   More than 3,500 have been killed and 16,000 injured.

Air strikes, ground clashes, reduced commercial imports, dwindling food and fuel stocks, collapsing health, water, and education systems, and eroding communal safety nets have turned Yemen into a humanitarian catastrophe. Today, 21 million people require humanitarian assistance – that is a staggering 80 per cent of the Yemeni population. 

More than 4.4 million people have received humanitarian aid since March. This includes 2 million people fed; 33,000 children treated for severe acute malnutrition; 3.3 million people supported with water and sanitation services; and about 880,000 reached with urgent healthcare. Last week alone, UN convoys reached Aden with medical equipment, vaccines, food, cooking supplies and hygiene items to assist over half a million people across the frontlines.

Despite the efforts by humanitarians, the needs far surpass the humanitarian response capacity. To scale up, the humanitarian community urgently requires funding. Yemen’s humanitarian appeal has received only 15 per cent of the requested $1.6 billion required until the end of 2015.

We call on all parties to the conflict to urgently ensure the protection of civilians, to abide by international humanitarian law, and to allow the safe and rapid passage of humanitarian assistance to all people in need. 

The humanitarian consequences of a continued escalation in violence, restrictions on imports and a freefalling economy are unimaginable.

For further information, please call:
Philippe Kropf, OCHA Yemen, kropf@un.org, +967 71 2222 819
Jessica Jordan, OCHA Yemen, jordanj@un.org +962 7 9867 4617
Iyad Nasr, OCHA ROMENA, nasri@un.org, +20 10 9555 8662