UN sounds alarm on worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN on Monday emphasized dire humanitarian crisis and escalating conflict in Yemen, where a civil war that began in 2014 has led to widespread suffering, violence, disease, and famine.

"Yemen remains a country where things have deteriorated quickly in the past, and where they can do so again," Martin Griffiths, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said at a Security Council session.

Noting that the specter of hunger looms large in the Arab country, Griffiths said severe food deprivation is persisting and expected to worsen as the lean season approaches in June.

"We are also deeply concerned about a rapidly worsening cholera outbreak," he said, adding that there are 40,000 suspected cases and over 160 deaths had been reported so far.

Griffiths drew attention to the fact that between 2016 and 2021 thousands, mostly children, lost their lives to a similar outbreak.

"The last seven months of misery and pain in the wider region have added to instability in Yemen," he said, adding that attacks on vessels in the Red Sea are disrupting global trade routes and further threatening the fragile peace in the region.

"Here allow me to stress that we cannot – we must not – let developments in the region and the Red Sea stand in the way of peace in Yemen. That would be a terrible injustice and a tragedy for the people of Yemen," he added.

The UN special envoy of the secretary-general for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, echoed Griffiths' concerns at the session and urged "all involved to de-escalate the situation in the Red Sea and its vicinity."

"I believe that a peaceful and just solution remains possible," Grundberg said, adding that the people of Yemen "are calling for equality as citizens before the law. For a chance to tap into their country’s true economic potential. And for functioning services and good governance. These calls ultimately require an agreement to end the war and begin a political process."

In response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, Houthis stepped up attacks on commercial shipping vessels travelling through the Red Sea in mid-November, threatening shipments of oil and gas through the region.

Emphasizing the importance of concrete steps to advance peace in Yemen, he called on the support of both the region and the international community. "The Yemeni people expect nothing less," Grundberg said.

In 2014, the Houthis took control over large swaths of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The next year, a military coalition of Arab countries intervened in the war, responding to a call by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s internationally recognized government for military support against the rebels. ​​​​​​​