Local Editor

Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Johannes Van Der Klaauw, described the humanitarian consequences of the conflict in Yemen as "catastrophic", saying also that "civilians are paying the heaviest price", according to a report on Monday. 

Since March, a Saudi-led coalition backed by the United States has been carrying out airstrikes against Yemen. The airstrikes have not been authorized by the UN.

"The humanitarian consequences of the conflict in Yemen are catastrophic", Klaauw said.

He said that he witnessed this recently yesterday on Sunday in Yemen’s Aden, "where the intensification of violence and conflict over the past four months have devastated the city and destroyed the lives and livelihoods of the majority of its people". 

"As has become all too familiar in contexts of war, civilians are paying the heaviest price", he said.

He also said that he heard "numerous accounts of death, hunger and utter desperation as mothers and fathers struggle to find safety, security and care for their loved ones".. 

"The level of destruction in Aden and the high number of civilian deaths and injuries, estimated at over 23,000 nationwide, is a shocking testament to the suffering faced by the civilian population. The damage to critical infrastructure in the whole country, including hospitals, schools, air and sea ports, mosques, and residential premises is unacceptable...", he added.

He repeated his plea to "put an end to the attacks on civilians and to end the destruction of critical infrastructure, vital for supplying essential goods and services to the civilian population".

He also called on opening all land routes and facilitating the use of air and sea ports to enable humanitarian agencies to rapidly deliver much needed life-saving assistance.

Furthermore, he mentioned that, "We need to get children back to school and provide psycho-social support to the women, men, girls and boys that have witnessed and experienced unspeakable violence in a city that has seen some of the bloodiest fighting since the escalation of conflict in March", when the Saudi-led aggression started.

"Funding is another immediate requirement", he said, adding that, "The Yemen humanitarian appeal has received only 15 per cent of the requested $1.6 billion required for 2015".

"I call on all donors to show their generosity and solidarity to the Yemeni people in this desperate time of need", he said.