Quote from Mohamed Abdi, NRC’s Country Director in Yemen:
“People fleeing now are utterly desperate – desperate for somewhere safe to sleep, desperate for something to eat, desperate for a situation that will allow them to go home.”
People who have fled are taking shelter wherever they can - in highly-congested houses, repurposed schools, damaged buildings and empty markets. If we can’t get enough food and clean water to these families each day, the risk of a major disease outbreak like cholera grows exponentially.
If Yemen is absent from global headlines it is not because the situation is any less catastrophic, it is because the world is becoming resigned to an unacceptable situation.”
Latest updates:
- Ongoing engagement from parties to the conflict in UN-led talks has helped sustain calm on the ground in Hodeidah city, but civilians report ongoing hovering and strikes from fighter jets over the city and strikes on some central locations.
- Residents of Hodeidah city report that despite a lull in ground clashes, the city has become increasingly fortified in recent week. Civilians are able to move to, from and within the city but are navigating tighter security and remain
- More than 300,000 people have been displaced from Al Hodeidah governorate since early June. This figure equates to more than 5,500 people each day and more than 40,000 each week.
- A third of those displaced by recent violence have fled to areas within Hodeidah governorate, while another third have reached Sana’a city (Amanat Al Asimah governorate), about six hours away by road. Together, these governorates account for 25 per cent of Yemen’s 1.12 million suspected cholera cases, indicating an extremely high risk of another outbreak.
- Hodeidah’s daily temperatures are currently reaching into the high thirties (upward of 100 degrees Fahrenheit), placing people at increased risk of dehydration, or communicable diseases caused by unclean water.
- Heavy ground clashes and strikes are continuing across southern areas of Hodeidah governorate. Humanitarian organisations are reaching some areas with aid but maintain serious concerns about people trapped between frontlines or otherwise unable to access help.
- Throughout the initial clashes around Hodeidah city and subsequent pause, Hodeidah Port has remained operational. 90 per cent of the food required has come through the port in July, while only 30 per cent of fuel has come through, sustaining inflation on the cost of transport and basic commodities across the country.
- NRC’s teams in Hodeidah and Hajjah governorates are delivering cash and other basic supplies to people fleeing conflict-affected areas, many of whom arrive with very little and use any remaining cash or food within days of arriving.
Facts:
- 29.3 million people live in Yemen.
- Some 3.3 million people live in Hodeidah governorate, and 600,000 usually live in Hodeidah city.
- 22.2 million Yemenis now need some form of humanitarian aid or protection.
- Some 164,000 suspected cases of cholera have been identified in Hodeidah since April 2017, equating to almost 15 per cent of Yemen’s total cholera caseload.
Photos taken in Hodeidah since the offensive available to download: https://nrc.smugmug.com/Country-Programmes/Yemen/2018/n-t8GLjK/Hodeidah-offensive
For interviews or more information, please contact:
- In Sana’a: Suze van Meegen, Protection and Advocacy Adviser in Yemen, suze.vanmeegen@nrc.no, 967 737 889 699
- Global:NRC's media hotline, info@nrc.no, +4790562329