Geneva
01 September 2009
Yemenis uprooted by conflict in the north over recent weeks queue for registration for humanitarian aid (file photo) |
They say the situation in Saada continues to worsen and they are gravely concerned about the fate and well-being of civilians.
The fighting is now entering its third week and it is taking a heavy toll. U.N. refugee spokesman, Andrej Mahecic, says more than 35,000 people have been displaced in and around Saada since fighting resumed.
He says an estimated 150,000 internally displaced people have been affected by the fighting since 2004. "According to those who managed to flee the besieged city and our staff on the ground, the fighting appears to be concentrated in the old Saada city. They also report frequent air strikes. As a result, more people are fleeing to the other parts of the Saada city seeking shelter and assistance-placing an additional burden on neighbors, friends and relatives as their own meager resources are running out. A 12-hour curfew is still in force restricting the movement of the local population and the internally displaced people especially during the night. Food reserves are running out and black market prices have risen dramatically in most of the districts affected by the fighting," he said.
Map of Saada in Yemen |
But, he adds, the security situation continues to hamper the distribution of relief items to vulnerable families. With the worsening of the situation in the north, the opening of humanitarian corridors in northern Yemen that would allow civilians to leave the conflict zone and humanitarian workers to deliver much needed humanitarian aid to thousands of displaced people in this remote part of the country is a top priority for UNHCR," he said.
Mahecic says the UNHCR urgently needs $5 million to respond to the emergency. He appeals to the generosity of the international community and the Muslim world in particular to alleviate the suffering of the Yemenis during this holy month of Ramadan.