YEMEN ONE STEP FROM FAMINE

The economic crisis in war-torn Yemen is witnessed by the world with no action to resolve the biggest human catastrophe on earth now.

When United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on world countries to provide financial assistance to resolve the severe economic crisis in Yemen, which has been under incessant attacks by a Saudi-led coalition over the past several years , it reflects on how the crisis worsened by a war created by a neighboring country.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015, in an unsuccessful attempt to suppress an uprising that had toppled a Riyadh-friendly regime.

The second anniversary of the Stockholm Agreement between Yemen’s Houthis and Riyadh-sponsored loyalists to the former regime of Yemen was a failure.

Since the 2018 agreement which was a diplomatic breakthrough aimed at bringing an end to the conflict in Yemen, the profound suffering of the Yemeni people had persisted.

Pockets of famine-like conditions have returned in Yemen and millions are facing severe, growing food insecurity, in particular against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reality on the ground shows the conflict has exacerbated the dire situation in Yemen.

With regret that dialogue between the Yemeni parties to agree on a nationwide ceasefire, economic and humanitarian confidence-building is ignored.

Measures to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, is failing.

The resumption of an inclusive political process for a comprehensive negotiated settlement to end the conflict, does not seem to be the interest of the parties concern .

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has raised the alarm about millions of Yemenis risking falling into worsening levels of hunger by mid-2021.

Famine is imminent with
five million of Yemenis will die if the war is not stopped.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) also described the crisis in Yemen as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” and warned against the continuation of the protracted conflict.

The world must act now less
the Yemen crisis remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Now millions are trapped in a cycle of conflict and hunger. Everyday life in Yemen gets harder for millions as the window to prevent famine narrows.

Earlier this month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) offered the staggering death toll of 233,000 from the Saudi-led war on Yemen stressing the importance of a ceasefire.

UN’s silence on the Saudi-led siege of Yemen and said the continuation of the blockade would implicate the international body in the crime against Yemenis.

United Nations must halt the aggression forces to persist in their assault and atrocities against the entire nation of Yemen.

The Saudi-led coalition has since five years ago enforced an all-out aerial, naval, and land blockade on the impoverished country.

The war has taken a heavy toll on Yemen’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.

The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.

We condemn the continous bombardment on Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition forces.

We call for a complete ceasefire and resumption for a comprehensive negotiation.

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President MAPIM