This very poor country in the Arabian Peninsula is beset by one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies after eight years of war between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed pro-government forces. Almost half of Yemen’s health facilities are only partially functioning or are completely out of order due to shortages of staff, finance, electricity, medicines, supplies and equipment, the authorities saidWHO.
Yemen needs urgent and strong support […] to avoid the possible collapse of his healthcare system
said the representative of this UN agency in Yemen, Adham Abdel Moneim Ismail.
$392 million in new funding is required
to ensure healthcare facilities can continue to provide services to 12.9 million people, he said in a statement.
According to him, 540,000 children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition with imminent danger of death.
This appeal comes on the eve of a donor meeting organized by the UN, Switzerland and Sweden.
Ten million people in need
The United Nations estimates that 21.6 million people – two-thirds of Yemen’s population – are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection services.
Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to step in the following year to support the internationally recognized government.
Since then, the war has caused hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect deaths and brought the country to the brink of starvation.
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