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Conflict-Displaced Yemenis Receive Food Aid
New York, Nov 9 2009 4:10PM
The United Nations World Food Programme (http://www.wfp.org/) and its partners have provided assistance to almost 100,000 people displaced in northern Yemen by the latest round of fighting between Government forces and Al Houthi rebels, the agency (http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/wfp-reaches-close-one-hundred-thousand-people-yemen-amidst-continued-fighting) reported today.
The clashes that resumed in August
have driven some 150,000 people from their homes. UN
officials have been calling for a ceasefire and the opening
of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave the
conflict zone and enable aid workers to deliver much needed
assistance to the internally displaced persons
(IDPs).
WFP said that in spite of better access to
some of the areas affected by fighting, the situation
remains volatile and supply routes are unreliable.
The situation is particularly dramatic in the town of
Sa’ada, where access has been extremely difficult for the
past three months.
“Our biggest concern is that we
might be unable to re-supply stocks in Sa’ada town, which
could result in widespread suffering,” said Gian Carlo
Cirri, WFP Representative in Yemen.
The agency has
delivered commodities through a cross-border operation from
Saudi Arabia to assist some 10,000 displaced people in the
northern border area of Mandaba, five kilometres inside
Yemen, where the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) and the Yemeni Red Crescent Society began
distribution last week.
A recent UN assessment
mission to the area revealed that food prices have doubled
since the conflict began and is out of reach for many
families. Blankets, cooking utensils, medicine, and water
sanitation facilities are among the other urgent needs.
Following recent clashes in the border area, WFP is monitoring the
situation to see if more people start to flee the area, and
to what extent its supply route through Saudi Arabia into
northern Sa’ada governorate could be
affected.
ENDS
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