Yemen

A rare cyclone has left conflict ravaged Yemen facing a double disaster as Cyclone Chapala promises a decade-worth of rain in Yemen in just a few days.

In an open letter sent today, Oxfam, Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children, Action Contre La Faim and seven other agencies urge the UN Security Council to press parties in the Yemen conflict to implement an immediate ceasefire and kick-start the peace process.

It is shameful that members of the Human Rights Council prioritized perceived geo-strategic interests above the need for accountability and failed today to establish an international independent mechanism to investigate breaches of these laws.

The coalition airstrikes of Hodeidah’s port is yet another example of an attack on a civilian target, which Oxfam utterly condemns, says Oxfam’s Yemen country director, Philippe Clerc.

Since the start of the conflict, nearly 25,000 additional people are going hungry each day in Yemen as the blockade and fighting restrict food, fuel and other vital supplies, Oxfam warned today.

The failure to broker a peace deal in Geneva is deeply disappointing as the humanitarian situation in Yemen is deteriorating by the day.

Humanitarian agencies are calling on the international community to support a lasting solution that could save the lives of millions of civilians in Yemen, as the United Nations prepares to host peace talks on Sunday June 14th in Geneva.

One month into the crisis, Oxfam warns that power stations in Yemen are almost out of fuel, phone networks are suffering extensive damage, and the banking system is at a standstill. The escalation in violence has also damaged the water infrastructure leaving millions of Yemenis without clean water. 

Oxfam welcomes the announcement by the Saudi Arabian led  Coalition that Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen has ended, but warns that the work to bring aid to millions of Yemenis is still only beginning. 

Oxfam has vehemently condemned yesterday's Coalition airstrike on one of its storage facilities in Saada Governorate in northern Yemen.