The humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, which was exacerbated by the six-year war on Yemen, has become increasingly fatal with the decrease in aid, the collapse of the country’s economy, and the outbreak of diseases and epidemics due to the incapability of hospitals and health facilities that have been partially and completely destroyed as a result of the bombing by the aircrafts of the war coalition on Yemen, led by the US, KSA and UAE. Moreover, there is a shortage in medicines and medical supplies due to the stifling blockade and the detention of oil derivative ships practiced by the coalition countries as they deny the ships’ access to the port of Hodeida. The humanitarian situation has been aggravated as several countries have reduced or stopped humanitarian aid to Yemen, especially the areas controlled by the National Salvation Government in Sana’a.
The World Health Organization intends to stop fuel supports for 141 health facilities, starting from next March. This confirms a great contradiction between what the UN declares about Yemen as witnessing the worst humanitarian disaster in the world and the decisions to stop supporting hospitals by one of its largest specialized organizations. This will dramatically increase the newborn and maternal mortality rates, not to mention the rest of the vital departments.
The United Nations has criticized the Trump administration’s decision to designate Ansar Allah as an international terrorist group. It asserted that this decision would have serious humanitarian and political consequences for the situation in Yemen. It expressed concern about the negative impact of the decision on “imports of basic foodstuffs and efforts to resume effective political negotiation.”
Prominent American representatives also expressed their rejection of the foreign decision of their country, as it may further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said that “designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization is a death sentence for millions of Yemenis.”
The European Union condemns the decision to designate Ansar Allah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (OTC) by the United States. They warned that this would undermine international peace efforts and exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Yemen, stressing that the Union would continue to call for dialogue among all parties to the conflict.
The National Salvation Government in Sana’a keeps on calling the United Nations to quickly deploy its technical team to access the FSO Safer oil tanker anchored off the port of Hodeida.
