On Wednesday, a UN official revealed that more than 15,000 Yemenis were displaced last December in the governorates of Al-Jawf, Ma’rib and Shabwah as a result of the fighting on different fronts in the country.
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This was stated by the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ramesh Rajasingham, during a session of the UN Security Council.
Rajasingham explained that “the continuous violent fighting on dozens of fronts in Yemen only last month led to the displacement of more than 15,000 people in the governorates of Al-Jawf, Ma’rib and Shabwa.”
And he warned of “renewed hostilities in Al-Bayda (province) and escalation of air strikes in Sanaa and other parts of the country.”
He continued, “We continue to be reported at alarming rates of civilian casualties, and in December 358 civilians were killed or injured as a direct result of hostilities.”
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He urged “all parties to exercise constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects, as required by international humanitarian law.”
Rajasingham also warned of “the growing constraints on efforts facing the humanitarian response in Yemen.”
And he stated that “the funding of the United Nations humanitarian response plan in Yemen last year was only 58 percent, making it the least funded appeal for Yemen since 2015.”
He added, “The World Food Program announced last month the reduction of food aid to eight million people due to lack of funding.”
We expect this year’s plan to require the same amount of money that we needed last year.
Which amounted to $ 3.9 billion to help 16 million people, so I call on all donors to continue, if not increase support.”
He stressed that “humanitarian aid will not solve the crisis in Yemen alone, and change will only come with an end to the fighting that is supported by a lasting and just peace agreement.”
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For 7 years, Yemen has been witnessing a continuous war between the pro-government forces backed by an Arab military coalition led by the Saudi neighbor.
As well as the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have controlled governorates, including the capital, Sanaa, since September 2014.
Until the end of 2021, the war resulted in the deaths of 377,000 directly and indirectly, and Yemen’s economy lost 126 billion dollars in one of the worst humanitarian and economic crises in the world, according to the United Nations.
