United Nations (UN) agencies on Friday issued an urgent appeal for humanitarian assistance in Yemen, warning that surging conflict has displaced over 100,000 people in just two weeks.
The latest surge follows heavy clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthi militia along the strategic southwestern Red Sea coast. The violence has forced more than 112,000 people to flee across Aden, Hudaydah, Abyan, and Taiz, pushing local aid infrastructure to the brink of collapse.
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Abdusattor Esoev, Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, warned that relief supplies are nearly exhausted.
"Our resources are very, very limited and our stocks will be depleted very soon. So therefore, we call on international communities to come to Yemen’s aid and provide International Organization for Migration (IOM) and with other partners with the urgent support to meet the need of these people, which includes food, shelter, health, water, sanitation of this displaced population," Esoev said.
Years of conflict, economic collapse and environmental disaster have already displaced nearly 4.8 million Yemenis, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The country is facing "multiple concurrent health risks" including cholera, measles, dengue, diphtheria, malnutrition and trauma injuries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
"We have done assessment recently before the escalation and already out of more than 5,000 health service delivery units that have been assessed, only 60 were fully functioning," said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic.
Also speaking at the media briefing in Geneva, Alessandra Vellucci, director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, warned that the delivery of UN humanitarian assistance in Houthi-controlled areas had become "untenable", with UN personnel detained and the global body's premises occupied by representatives of the Yemeni opposition forces.
As of Friday, 73 UN personnel remain arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities.
In addition, five former UN personnel and dozens of personnel from non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions remain detained, Vellucci said.
"We reiterate our call on the Houthi de facto authorities for immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained personnel. We will continue to work tirelessly and through all available channels to secure their safe and immediate release," she said.
Yemen's conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
UN agencies appeal for urgent aid in Yemen as fresh clashes displace thousands
