STOP THE YEMEN WAR NOW !
We demand all warring parties to immediately stop the war in Yemen.
The devastation has been undescribable.
The recent UN report that at least 400,000 Yemen children under 5 could die of starvation this year is inconceivable.
This could be a reality this year if urgent intervention is not forthcoming, amid soaring rates of severe malnutrition driven by war and the coronavirus pandemic.
It is unacceptable that after six years of the outbreak of war, 80 per cent of the population now is reliant on humanitarian aid.
In a report, the agencies projected a 22 per cent increase in severe acute malnutrition among children under five in Yemen, compared to 2020.
The World Food Program (WFP) Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have been issuing warnings that the figure could be more if the count includes families.
Another 2.3 million under 5 are expected to suffer acute malnutrition in 2021 with the continuing conflict. Around 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women are projected to be acutely malnourished this year.
The UN says the country is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
We call the Saudi to stop the military operation and rebuild Yemen from its present situation.
The access for food, clean water and health care should be the top priority.
The conflict has worsened , impacting on economy, and compounded by the pandemic. The shortfall of donations last year is also contributing to the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Nutrition and other services that keep millions from starvation and disease are gradually closing across Yemen amid the acute funding shortage.
The agencies said they had only received $1.9 billion of the $3.4 billion required for the country’s humanitarian response. Programmes have started to close and scale down.
The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.
The war has killed more than 100,000 people and pushed millions to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations (UN) official data.
A political solution cannot be delayed and all resources must be focussed to rebuild Yemen.
We demand that the crisis be resolved without outside interference.
The Yemenis should be given their rights to decide and all leaders of the warring parties must stop the clash from escalating.
Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President MAPIM.
