United Nations, Sep 22 (IANS): Families displaced by hostilities in Yemen urgently need food and shelter support, while supplies are running thin as the violence and needs increase, UN humanitarians said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday (local time) said that, with its partners, it scaled up support for displaced families and all those in need. But the response faces ongoing funding shortfalls and access constraints.
Over the weekend, OCHA said that 21,000 households were displaced across Yemen since August 1, most of them in the governorates of Taiz and Lahj, a figure expected to rise as registration continues.
Since August 1, the UN Human Rights Office verified 125 civilian casualties in 36 incidents, with 32 people killed and 93 others injured. This month, more than 80 per cent of casualties were women and children. The actual toll is likely much higher.
OCHA said that ambulances were attacked in Lahj governorate on Friday, killing a driver and an emergency medical responder. Nine health facilities or locations in Taiz and Lahj governorates and in the city of Al Hodeidah were damaged, closed or directly attacked, reports Xinhua news agency.
Hospitals receiving the wounded are running short of blood, anaesthetics and surgical supplies.
The office said that women and girls have historically faced high levels of risk in Yemen, particularly pregnant women, who have extremely limited access to health care. Three women die every day in Yemen due to pregnancy complications or during childbirth. The latest escalation in conflict has amplified these risks.
The UN Population Fund estimated that more than 2,700 pregnant women are among the displaced, including 300 expected to give birth in the next two weeks and at least 500 in need of emergency obstetric or newborn care. However, key emergency obstetric facilities have been closed in Taiz, forcing displaced women to give birth in the open without skilled medical care.
OCHA said that humanitarian partners have reached nearly 13,000 displaced households with rapid response kits and other urgently needed assistance. The World Health Organization has delivered surgical supplies and antibiotics to four hospitals in the cities of Aden and Marib.
OCHA called on the parties to protect civilians, including health workers and ambulances, and to facilitate the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid.
