Local Editor

The United Nations [UN] Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, expressed deep concern over the "catastrophic" situation, and renewed his appeal for an "immediate and unconditional humanitarian pause" on Wednesday. 

In a statement just days after an expected humanitarian pause failed to take hold over the past weekend, O’Brien renewed his call for "an immediate and unconditional humanitarian pause across the country". 

"I am even more deeply concerned by the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Yemen," said O’Brien, who is also the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

A separate note issued in the capital of Sana’a on Wednesday by the humanitarian community in Yemen, including the UN, said the country recently this week has seen some of the deadliest days recorded since the conflict escalated in March and appealed for access to and funding for the staggering four out of five Yemenis in need of aid.

"To scale up, the humanitarian community urgently requires funding," according to the humanitarian team. "Yemen’s humanitarian appeal has received only 15 percent of the requested $1.6 billion required until the end of 2015.

"Despite the continued fighting, our humanitarian colleagues and their partners on the ground have been able to distribute some vital aid for the families in desperate need," he said. "However, it is not nearly enough and we need access and funds to rapidly scale up critical humanitarian supplies and services."

He went on to say that "a political solution to this conflict is what the people of Yemen need and I hope that the international community will do all it can for the Yemeni families who are counting on this."

The statements come a day after the UN reported that Yemen is impacted by one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world with 21 out of 25 million people in need of aid with the civilian death toll since 26 March at 1,670 and another 3,829 people injured.