Representational.
Sanaa, Riyadh: The United Nations cautioned that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is deteriorating further, but a two-month truce, which started in early April, could help the situation improve, Agence France-Presse reported.
Late on Saturday, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, David Gressly, said that the worsening situation in the conflict-torn country must be addressed urgently.
He said that three-quarters of the Yemeni population- 23 million people- require urgent assistance there, which is almost an increase of three million people since 2021. He requested donors to take advantage of the truce to deliver aid to the Yemeni population.
He said that the truce is a vital opportunity for agencies to scale up delivering life-saving aids, reach out to more people quickly etc., in areas of armed conflict and insecurity. Further, the UN count on sufficient donor funding or the aid operation will collapse despite the positive momentum seen in Yemen today, he said.
He said that to reverse the steady deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country, the UN needs nearly $4.3 billion for its 2022 humanitarian response plan. The plan aims at benefitting 17.3 million people, while 13 million are already facing acute levels of need, he said.
Meanwhile, the president of Yemen's leadership council, Rashad Al-Alimi, said that his government respects the ceasefire and adheres to it though Houthis do not, Arab News reported. He noted that his council would save the consensus and the partnership to help Yemen, and he thanked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their helping hand toward his people.
AFP reports that 80 per cent of the 30 million people of Yemen is in need of assistance, and the truce has given them a short break from violence. To address the fuel shortages there, oil tankers were seen anchored in the port of Hodeida. The ceasefire also allowed commercial flights out of Sanaa's airport, a first in six years.
The Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly violated the truce, which began at the start of Ramadan. The violations mainly occurred in the Marib area, where Houthis plan to take the resource-rich province from the government's control.