The United Nations relief wing on Friday warned of famine like conditions unfolding in Yemen. According to senior UN relief officials millions of Yemenis may be at risk of starvation and disease as the current situation in the country is being described as the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world today. UN says seven million people are already on the brink of famine and if the blockade is not lifted another three million may join their ranks.
Saudi led coalition fighting Houti rebels in Yemen has put blockade which includes closure of air, sea and land ports in Yemen. Blockade on aid and other essential goods threatened millions of vulnerable children, women and families. At the time when Saudi led coalition intervened in Yemen’s civil war in March 2015, country was already considered poorest among all other countries of Arab world. Continued war has further deteriorated the situation as most of the infrastructure including hospitals and schools have already been destroyed.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he has written letter to the authorities in Riyadh to lift the blockade of Yemen. He said that it has been over 13 days since Yemen’s sea and air ports as well as borders were shut down and situation is reversing the impacts of humanitarian efforts.
Yemen imports almost 90 per cent of its daily needs. Shortage of many essentials, including fuel has reached at crisis level. Due to shortage of fuel most of the Yemeni cities are unable to pump clean drinking water and in result almost one million people are at risk of cholera outbreak. Other diseases that can easily be prevented have also become serious threat because of shortage of medicines. Red Cross also warned that if imports of essential goods not resumed immediately, situation may go beyond control in two weeks time. Almost 17 million people are food insecure.
It would be in the best interest of all if issues are addressed through negotiations as thousands of innocent civilians have become victim of war. At the moment Saudi Arab should seriously consider request of UN Secretary General to lifting the blockade so that fuel, food and medical supplies could enter Yemen as millions of people are at the verge of humanitarian crisis.