On 12 May a humanitarian pause in Yemen came into effect, to allow humanitarian relief items and agencies to access the country and people and to give the Yemeni population a much needed respite. The humanitarian pause is only designated to last until 17 May, therefore is it crucial that the humanitarian community acts fast and use existing humanitarian infrastructure coordination channels.
With much of the world and media focused on the devastating effects of the Nepal earthquakes and plight of the many refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria, it is crucial that the situation in Yemen is not overlooked. As per the flash update on Monday (11 May), over a third of the deaths in the conflict so far have been those of civilians (646 out of 1527 deaths), while a further 6,266 people have been injured. It has been difficult to verify information on the numbers of displaced and on the scale of damage as communications have been cut off. The numbers of displaced are expected to rise during the humanitarian pause as civilians who were trapped by the fighting will now be able to flee to safety.
As per the 2015 Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview, this escalation comes in a situation where already an estimated 15.9 million people – or 61% of the population – needed some form of humanitarian assistance in Yemen, an increase of 8% since last year. The rise is primarily due to expanding conflict, growing arrivals of migrants and refugees, and population growth in areas with poor access to even the most basic services. According to the 2014-’15 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, children represent 50% of the people in need.
Do check our page on Yemen. For enquiries (e.g. for any shared assessment or guidance), contact opermngt @ osmanconsulting.co.uk or for supplies contact supplies @ osmanconsulting.co.uk (delete spaces, added to avoid spammers).
osmanconsulting.wordpress.com 