famine

12 days since land, air and seaports in Yemen were closed, Oxfam and 13 other aid agencies are appalled by the complacency and indifference of the international community regarding the historic humanitarian disaster now unfolding.

Seven million people are on the brink of famine, yet the deepening crisis in Yemen is completely avoidable if decision makers re-open ports and stop supplying weapons.

Oxfam and 17 other humanitarian agencies expressed serious concern today over the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition’s decision to temporarily close all entry points to Yemen, effectively sealing the country off. The agencies demand that humanitarian operations are allowed to resume immediately and request clarity on the planned duration of the current closure and contingencies to allow humanitarian supplies to be delivered.  

The agency is calling for a massive aid effort and an immediate ceasefire to allow health and aid workers tackle the cholera outbreak.

New IPC figures show that famine has been pushed back in South Sudan, but the food crisis continues to spread across the country and 6 million people are facing severe hunger and need immediate help.

Thousands of displaced persons returning from Cameroon to Nigeria are facing appalling conditions on arrival in Pulka, says Oxfam.

According to data from the UN’s Financial Tracking System (the only official system for tracking donor funding) and information Oxfam received from G7 members: no G7 country has provided their fair share of funding for all four nations facing famine. 

As famine takes hold in South Sudan and threatens to spread to northeastern Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen, world leaders must immediately step up to fully fund the United Nations’ appeal for $6.3 billion.

There is growing scientific analysis suggesting that the impacts of current and recent droughts in East Africa are likely to have been aggravated by climate change. Without global efforts to reduce emissions and to help the world’s poorest people cope with the effects of climate change, this crisis will continue to repeat itself.

Almost four years of brutal conflict in Yemen have led to what the UN describes as the worst humanitarian situation on the globe. 60 percent of the population - 20 million people - are suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition, with nearly 14 million people facing starvation. They need your help.