UN aid chief calls for end to Yemen's war

Concluding a three-day visit to Yemen to meet with people affected by the conflict, UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Stephen O'Brien called on all parties to return to the table and work out a peaceful solution to end the crisis.

"The best humanitarian relief that can be provided is an end to the conflict," said O'Brien, who also serves as UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, during an October 4th press conference.

Four out of every five of Yemen's 28 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and most healthcare facilities across the country are not functioning, a situation he described as "outrageous by any measure".

Most of the healthcare facilities in 16 out of 22 governorates are either not functioning or are only partially functioning, he noted, and medicine is lacking.

O'Brien visited Sanaa and the port city of al-Hodeidah, touring al-Hunoud district and al-Thawra hospital in al-Hodeidah to assess the humanitarian situation and meet with local officials and representatives of humanitarian organisations.

He stressed the need for al-Hodeidah's port to be repaired to facilitate the entry of commercial vessels and thereby help to alleviate Yemen's human suffering.

"The destruction of the port of al-Hodeidah impeded the humanitarian efforts to deliver food to the majority of the Yemeni people on the one hand, and arrival of cargo ships laden with imported goods for merchants on the other," said economist Abdul Jalil Hassan.

This contributed to higher food costs in local markets and consequently higher food prices, he told Al-Mashareq, noting that al-Hodeidah is the main port for imports as it is the closest to densely populated areas.

Increase in humanitarian needs

According to the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen, there have been large increases in humanitarian needs in nearly all sectors, leaving 21.2 million Yemenis in need of some form of assistance.

Of this number, 14.4 million people are now food insecure, with an estimated 7.6 million of these in need of emergency food assistance.

About 320,000 children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

A further 19.4 million people require assistance to ensure access to safe drinking water and sanitation, of whom 9.8 million are in need as a direct result of the conflict. Commercial water trucks have been unable to enter some areas, and uncollected waste in frontline areas poses a serious risk to public health.

Health services are increasingly scarce, and most facilities that remain open are under-resourced, over-burdened and lacking in supplies.

O'Brien said humanitarian needs have risen sharply since his last visit, in August 2015.

"The UN and its partners are working to provide assistance to six million people in the form of meals to lift them above the starvation line," he said, calling on international donors to do more to fund these vital efforts.

Raising international awareness

"O'Brien’s visit to Yemen will undoubtedly contribute to reinforcing the call for more funding and assistance to Yemen," said George Khoury, head of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sanaa.

In Sanaa, he told Al-Mashareq, O'Brien discussed ways to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and remove bureaucratic barriers that impede the ability of UN agencies and humanitarian partners to reach people in need.

In al-Hodeidah, he added, O'Brien called on all parties to the conflict to ensure the port is repaired because it "represents a lifeline for people".

He also saw first-hand the impact of the conflict on the daily lives of ordinary people, visiting the treatment centre at al-Thawra hospital that cares for children suffering from severe malnutrition, Khoury said.

O'Brien "expressed deep consternation over the rise in the level of malnutrition due to the lack of medicine, exacerbated by the economic restrictions", he said.

"The magnitude of the suffering is staggering, especially in relation to the health aspect, as health conditions have deteriorated at all levels during the war," said Ministry of Public Health and Population spokesman Tamim al-Shami.

Half the country's health facilities have been damaged, he told Al-Mashareq, and there has been a shortage of medicine and medical supplies, with medical equipment in disrepair as maintenance teams are unable to enter the country.

"Furthermore, the deteriorating economic situation has had an impact on citizens’ purchasing power, particularly their ability to buy medicine, the price of which has risen," al-Shami said.

Many people are no longer able to afford food or medicine, he added, calling on local and international parties to work to find a peaceful solution to the conflict and "double the assistance, particularly food and medical assistance".