UN: Dire Humanitarian Situation Results in 2.5 Million IDPs in Yemen
Local Editor
A recent United Nations-backed report stated that the situation in Yemen substantially deteriorated since the conflict broke out in early 2015, with a 9% increase in the internally displaced persons (IDPs), which reached 2.5 million.
Representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Yemen, Johannes van der Klaauw said: "The ongoing conflict, damage to civilian infrastructure, and strain on already depleted resources have exacerbated an already precarious humanitarian situation."
He also highlighted the latest report of the Task Force on Population Movement (TFPM), led by UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and partners.
The main needs of IDPS, according to the report, are food, water, sanitation and hygiene, and shelters. Most IDPs lost their livelihoods and sought shelter with relatives and friends, in schools, public and abandoned buildings and makeshift shelters or in the open with little to no protection.
Relatively, Chief of Mission for IOM in the country, Nicoletta Giordano mentioned that: "The TFPM report provides an extremely useful support mechanism to more effectively manage the response to the increasingly dire humanitarian situation throughout Yemen."
Compared to the last report, the latest study increased the coverage area for information by 82%, while incorporating accuracy in timely data collecting to ensure the result. It estimated that about half of all IDPs fled to areas within their governorate of origin, while 55% sought refuge in other areas.
In all, the five governorates most affected by the conflict: Ta’az, ‘Amran, Hajjah, Sana’a and ‘Abyan, account for more than half of the 2.5 million IDPs in Yemen, with more than one third of them based in Ta’az.
In response, UNHCR and IOM assisted IDPs and other conflict-affected communities with emergency shelter kits, tents and cash subsidies, as well as psychosocial and legal assistance.
