Yemen

Oxfam is calling for immediate humanitarian and political action as the world stands on the brink of an unprecedented four famines.

The agencies call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, facilitate safe passage of those trapped in conflict areas, allow humanitarian access to those in need and cease damage to vital infrastructure.

Yemen’s population is at risk of catastrophic hunger as food imports continue to plunge and on current trends the war torn country will effectively run out of things to eat in a few months.

Oxfam condemns Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a funeral in Sanaa which according to the UN killed 140 people and injured more than 500.

The Human Rights Council decision not to set up an independent inquiry to investigate human rights violations by all sides to the conflict in Yemen is unacceptable.

Eighteen months of war has pushed Yemen to the brink of catastrophe and left millions of people running out of means of survival, warned Oxfam in a new report published today.

In response to reports that the UN has reviewed the participants of Yemen's conflict blacklisted in last week's UN report on Children and Conflict, Oxfam said: "It appears that political power and diplomatic clout have been allowed to trump the UN's duty to expose those responsible for the killing and maiming of more than a thousand of Yemen's children."  

This briefing shares the experiences of some of the 250 people interviewed by Oxfam in Yemen in February 2016 and shows how a year of intense conflict has created one of the world’s biggest humanitarian emergencies and risks pushing millions into famine.

Oxfam is scaling up its operations in Taiz governorate, Yemen, to meet the increasing humanitarian needs in communities affected by the escalating fighting in and around Taiz city. The UN’s Emergency Response Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, has described Taiz city as a ‘city under virtual siege’, with food, medical supplies, and fuel blocked from entering and humanitarian agencies denied access to the besieged population.