7/10/2020 0 Comments The Crisis in YemenOver 80 percent of the population in Yemen is in need of humanitarian assistance, making Yemen the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world. The country has been in a civil war since 2015, and as the conflict climbs, it’s turning into devastation for Yemen children. On top of that, the country is facing another emergency: COVID-19.
“More than five years of conflict have left Yemenis hanging on by a thread, their economy in tatters, their institutions facing near-collapse,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “Two million Yemeni children are suffering from acute malnutrition, which could stunt their growth and affect them throughout their lives.” UN Humanitarian Coordinator and conference co-host Mark Lowcock explains that after five years of “economic collapse, destroyed infrastructure, hunger, disease and displacement”, the coronavirus is the latest catastrophe to hit the country. The country is facing many struggles at once. Several diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue fever threaten Yemeni. In addition, Over 80,000 people have been forced from their homes from the start of the year. The UN chief says that even basic health measures are difficult when half the population doesn’t have clean water to wash their hands. With health facilities not working and a lack of proper equipment, Yemen struggles to tackle COVID-19 in general, let alone alongside war. “Tackling COVID-19 on top of the existing humanitarian emergency requires urgent action”, the UN Chief emphasized. COVID-19 is currently spreading more rapidly in Yemen compared to other countries. “We must preserve the major humanitarian aid operation that is already underway – the world’s largest – while developing new public health programmes to fight the virus and strengthen healthcare systems”. “Ending the war is the only way to address the health, humanitarian and human development crises in Yemen.” the UN Chief stresses. “Yemenis desperately need peace.
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