The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it has gained access to the rebel-held northern district of Nihm, for the first time since the conflict in Yemen escalated in 2015.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the worst in the world. Nearly four years of conflict and severe economic decline has driven the country to the brink of famine.
An estimated 80 percent of the population – 24 million people – require some form of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need.
The escalation of the conflict since March 2015 has dramatically aggravated the protection crisis in which millions face risks to their safety and basic rights. Many districts remained cut off to humanitarian aid, causing further suffering of people wracked by hunger and cholera.
The WFP has been working closely with Islamic Relief to gain access to these vulnerable communities by establishing two distribution points in Nihm district in Sana’a governorate. According to WFP spokesperson, Herve Verhoosel, more than 5,000 people were reached.
“We successfully distributed food and aid to more than 5,000 people from 896 households living next to the frontlines…This was the first time WFP and out cooperating partner, Islamic Relief, (have) reached people living inside the militarized zone of Nihm.”
Aid reaches Dhuraimi city
Further distributions took place in “the besieged area of Dhuraimi city in Hodeida governorate, which has seen intense conflict and insecurity for a prolonged period,” Verhoosel reported.
He told journalists in Geneva that this [was] the first time humanitarian assistance reached civilians in the city for a year. “The WFP provided two-month general food assistance rations, water, hygiene kits and dignity kits and other food assistance.”
He acknowledged that there is still more work to do as some communities still remain out of reach as fighting is on-going. “WFP was reaching 7 to 8 million people a month. Since January, February, we are reaching 10 million people a month,” he stressed, adding they hoped to extend that to 12 million.
To find out more about Islamic Relief’s work inside Yemen, click here: https://www.islamic-relief.org.za/yemen-emergency-appeal/