The United Nations warned of a “largest famine the world has seen for many decades” if the Saudi-led coalition did not allow humanitarian aid access to Yemen.
UN aid chief Mark Lowcock said on Wednesday that if a Saudi-led military coalition did not allow humanitarian aid access to Yemen then it would cause “the largest famine the world has seen for many decades with millions of victims.”
The Saudi-led military coalition, launching a brutal aggression against Yemen since March 2015, said on Monday it had closed all air, land and sea ports to the Arab impoverished country, claiming the move was in response to a missile attack at Riyadh airport by Yemeni Army and Revolutionary allies.
The restricted b lockade is likely to worsen a humanitarian crisis in Yemen that according to the United Nations has pushed some seven million people to the brink of famine and left nearly 900,000 infected with cholera.
Lowcock, who visited Yemen late last month, briefed the UN Security Council behind closed doors at the request of Sweden.
“I have told the council that unless those measures are lifted … there will be a famine in Yemen,” he told reporters. “It will be the largest famine the world has seen for many decades with millions of victims.”
He said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir earlier on Wednesday and called for an immediate resumption of humanitarian access.
Lowcock said the UN’s World Food Program was feeding seven million people a month in Yemen.
“What we need is a winding down of the blockade … so that we can save the lives of those people,” he said.
The UN Security Council expressed concern about the humanitarian situation, Italian UN Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi, council president for November, said after Lowcock’s briefing.
“The members of the Security Council emphasized … the importance of keeping all Yemen’s ports and airports functioning, including Hodeidah port, as a critical lifeline for humanitarian support and other essential supplies,” Cardi said.
Source: Reuters
