Local Editor
WHO, WFP and UNICEF appealed for humanitarian access and an end to conflict, as 75 per cent of population now in need of urgent assistance.
“We have passed the grim milestone of 1,000 days of war in Yemen. As violence has escalated in recent days, children and families are yet again being killed in attacks and bombardments,” a joint statement by the agencies read on Friday. “More than 1,000 days of families driven from their homes by brutal violence. 1,000 days without enough food to eat and safe water to drink. 1,000 days of bombed hospitals and damaged schools. 1,000 days of children recruited to fight. 1,000 days of disease and death … of unimaginable human suffering.”
The three agencies added, “The conflict in Yemen has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world – a crisis which has engulfed the entire country. Some 75 per cent of Yemen’s population are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 11.3 million children who cannot survive without it. At least 60 per cent of Yemenis are now food insecure and 16 million people do not have access to safe water and proper sanitation. Many more lack access to basic health services. Less than half of Yemen’s health facilities are fully functional and medical staff have gone months without being paid their salaries.”
WHO, WFP and UNICEF stated that “This horrific tally of the conflict’s devastation reflects only what we know. In reality, the situation is likely to be worse,” adding that “UN agencies do not have full humanitarian access to some of the hardest hit communities. In many, we cannot even assess their needs.”
The statement warned, “Yemen has passed the tipping point into a rapid decline from crisis to deepening catastrophe.”
It added, “worsening conditions on the ground threaten to overwhelm our capacity to respond. Yemen’s families should not have to withstand another day of war, let alone another 1,000.”
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
