Environment
The United Nations has expressed deep concern over the continued escalation of military tensions in the Middle East and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia, also known as Ansar Allah,
The United Nations has expressed deep concern over the continued escalation of military tensions in the Middle East and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia, also known as Ansar Allah, on civilian infrastructure and energy facilities in Saudi Arabia. The UN has urged all parties to exercise restraint and halt the fighting.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said all parties to the conflict must fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian law, refrain from attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure, and take every possible measure to protect essential facilities on which people’s lives depend. He urged the parties to engage in constructive dialogue with Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, to pave the way for an inclusive dialogue that could help achieve a political settlement through negotiations.
The spokesperson also said that shortly before departing for Indonesia, UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke by telephone with Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council. They discussed the ongoing conflict in the country and its regional implications.
Humanitarian organizations have warned that the Yemeni city of Taiz is gradually becoming cut off from the outside world. Fighting in the city and surrounding areas since early August has displaced more than 250,000 people, including over 82,000 who were forced to flee their homes this month. According to aid workers, conditions inside the city are rapidly worsening. Last week, humanitarian partner organizations distributed their last available food stocks. The entire population now depends on local markets, where the prices of essential goods have risen by more than 50%.Water supplies are becoming increasingly limited, while cooking gas has also become extremely scarce. Hospitals have reported shortages of medicines, oxygen and fuel.
The spokesperson said that despite these difficult conditions, the United Nations and its partners continue to carry out humanitarian operations.
Stéphane Dujarric stressed that humanitarian operations remain insufficient to meet the scale of the needs. Among the families whose situations have been assessed, 40% are awaiting emergency food assistance. The risk of a cholera outbreak is also increasing in overcrowded displacement camps.
He said that since October 8, UN humanitarian partners have been unable to travel between Taiz and the districts to its south. As a result, relief supplies stored in Aden and warehouses in Al-Turbah have been unable to reach people in need. The United Nations has called on all parties to ensure the safe, continuous and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance so that relief supplies can reach the areas where they are urgently needed.
