4 million deprived of aid for lack of funds in Yemen

United Nations (UN) Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, warned about the severe humanitarian situation in Yemen due to lack of funds. The UN official said that aid agencies reach only 9 million people a month in place of more than 13 million at the beginning of the year.

In response to UN's appeal, the funding has increased from 30 per cent to 42 per cent since last month, but at the risk of 23 per cent which was 65 per cent last year. Many major programmes are at the risk of closure due to fund shortage. Funds are dismal due to lack of contribution from many developed countries. While food imports have remained stable, the cost of food and other basic goods is out of reach for millions of families and there are major fuel shortages in the north, Lowcock said.

The disastrous conflict started with Houthi rebels supported by Iran capturing the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The following year, a Saudi-led coalition backing the government interfered and waged a war against the rebels and curbed Iran's influence.

In September the casualties among civilian reached its highest level due to hectic clashes in Al Jawf, Marib, and Hodeida. The clashes compelled thousands of people to flee their homes.

Lowcock said that hostilities subsided recently, not enough. He even warned the disastrous consequence of a major confrontation in Marib city and anything disrupting Yemen's major port at Hodeida which is crucial for aid supplies, would put millions of lives at risk. Lowcock commented that the economy of Yemen is in want of continued foreign support in order to subsidise commercial imports, salary payments, and stabilizing the local currencies.

The civil war in Yemen racing its way to coagulate famine. As of 2020, peace remains a distant dream as more than 17,500 civilians were killed and injured since 2015, according to UN reports. Yemen's already fragile economy has suffered more due to the conflict, resulting thousands of families with no stable source for income.

Lowcock commented that an urgent political solution to the crisis is required in Yemen in order to save the country from the brink of famine.