UN humanitarian office puts Yemen war dead at 233,000, mostly from ‘indirect causes'
1 December 2020
Peace and Security
"Almost a quarter of a million people have died in Yemen’s war, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on its website on Tuesday, confirming the huge toll from a conflict that has ravaged Yemen’s economy and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
OCHA included the figure in an update within its latest Global Humanitarian Overview, where it gave a description of the context, crisis and humanitarian needs in Yemen. It said the conflict had intensified this year, with 47 identifiable front lines by the end of October, up from 33 at the start of this year.
“The war had already caused an estimated 233,000 deaths, including 131,000 from indirect causes such as lack of food, health services and infrastructure”, it said.
More than 3,000 child deaths
“Hostilities have directly caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties; 3,153 child deaths and 5,660 children were verified in the first five years of the conflict, and 1,500 civilian casualties were reported in the first nine months of 2020.”
The chief UN humanitarian official in Yemen, Altaf Musani, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, said in a statement on Tuesday that there had been artillery shelling of residential areas in the city of Taizz, a violation of international law. Preliminary reports indicated that two children had been killed, with a further three children and four women injured.
“These senseless attacks, with so many children and women casualties, are horrific and inexcusable,” Mr. Musani said. “Today, more families are grieving for children who died needlessly.”
UNICEF said 11 children, including a one-month old baby, had been killed in the past three days, in separate attacks in Taizz and Al Hudaydah govenorate.
“Verification is still ongoing, and the actual number of casualties may be higher”, Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF Representative to Yemen, said in a statement.
“The killing of children is appalling. Children should be protected at all times.”
Yemen’s complex civil war began in earnest in 2015, foisting disease, hunger and economic collapse on an already impoverished population. In 2020 the violence escalated and the hardship deepened with torrential rains, a fuel crisis, COVID-19 and desert locust infestations that are expected to cause damage and loss worth $222 million to staple crops, animals and livestock.
‘Imminent catastrophe’
Last month UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Yemen was in “imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades” and Henrietta Fore, head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) , said the country was facing “an imminent catastrophe”.
UNICEF’s humanitarian appeal for Yemen for 2020, requiring $535 million, has received just $237 million – a funding gap of almost $300 million.
OCHA said it was very difficult to bring aid into Yemen, citing an extremely restricted operating environment and a huge funding shortfall that had crippled the humanitarian response.
“By mid-2020, Yemen had returned to alarming levels of food insecurity and acute malnutrition. All indications suggest that the severity of needs for large sections of the population is increasing. COVID-19 has compounded food insecurity, mainly due to limited work opportunities, lower incomes and reduced remittances”, OCHA said.
$3.4 billion appeal
OCHA is appealing for $3.4 billion for Yemen, part of an overall $35 billion humanitarian appeal that it launched on Tuesday.
UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths has been mediating between the warring sides and called last month for the parties to the conflict to “take the final decisions required” to implement a pact that aims to bring a nationwide ceasefire, specific measures to improve the lives of Yemenis, and the resumption of the political process to reach a lasting peace.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1078972
"However, given the US and UK are direct participants on executing the war in Yemen alongside the Saudis and the UAE (including US and UK advanced weaponry being used), the tragedy of Yemen has been glaringly absent from the talking points of the Western political class"
Saving xxx from yyy will surely mean that some will "consider it worth it".
Why the hell is the US helping Saudi Arabia bomb Yemen? A brief guide.
By Zack Beauchamp@zackbeauchampzack@vox.com Oct 14, 2016, 9:50am EDT
https://www.vox.com/world/2016/10/14...-yemen-houthis
Last edited by OhOh; 03-12-2020 at 11:12 PM.
A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.
Only Anglo-American existence matters and valued...
Seems to be the stirring theme here.
As are the conditioned ideals of the old traditional and invented foe.
All the while, the associated war crimes continue on [as they have decades upon decades] the world over - promoted/carried out in their name.
Are there really members here who think it's ok for Saudi to kill thousands in Yemen? Deliver weapons to Saudi for this purpose?
Fact is that people tend to comment more on matters they have a connection to; Thailand/Asia, UK/Aus/Europe/US - there are also very few discussions on Uruguay or Benin.
Last edited by panama hat; 04-12-2020 at 02:47 AM.
Every one of the idiots whinging about Saudi Arabia have absolutely no understanding of the Yemeni Civil war. They think it's a Yemen/Saudi conflict because they're fucking stupid.
And let's not forget the slimebags the other side of the Gulf who are stoking this war up for all they are worth.
No, Harry
Ignorance is your thing
Saudi is not alone ón the Baby Killer side, and I'm sure you'll tell us who is supporting Yemen
Aiding and abetting - Wikipedia
And right on cue here is a babbling fucking idiot.
So tell me,Harry
Do you work in the Emirates?
Helping make the wheels go round, taking money from war-criminals ?
Nah, you would have left a long time ago in disgust, cause money isn't everything and you have a conscience
Have a good night, Harry
^ and he ignores posts directed at him again . . .
Ok:
Like you give a flying fuck about the thread title or topic, fuckwit - why are you constantly such an outrageously large arsehole.
You're a mainlander - we get it. Though 'outrageously huge arsehole' and 'mainlander' often go together you needn't prove it with every post
English, arsehole - try it.
The Houthis arent total Iran cutouts but there is a connection between the 2 yes.
But Iran doesn't make bold claims that they are defenders of human rights. Only one side does that. The one that is using its navy to blockade the Yemeni port to starve out the country.
The onus is on the alleged defender of human rights to just change the policy since it is obvious that the Houthis are not going to capitulate.
Experts.....of course.
Plenty of those types around, aren't there.
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