Quote from a civilian in Hodeidah:
“Airstrikes were intense earlier this week and we were very scared. Yesterday the situation was calmer. My neighbourhood looks like a ghost city, all my neighbours have fled because they were scared of the situation and of being bombed. I can no longer wait; the roads might be blocked and so I will leave to Hajjah.”
Quote from NRC’s Country Director, Mohamed Abdi, from Sana’a:
US, British, French and Iranian diplomats must do all they can to push the warring parties to cooperate with the UN envoy in agreeing on an immediate cease-fire and a new round of peace talks. We cannot allow a continued battle for Hodeidah to take more innocent lives of a people who have already been through an unbearable amount of suffering.”
Latest updates:
- Some 56,700 people are reported to be displaced so far as of 26 June, according to IOM. These figures represent a small percentage of the population, as most people remain unwilling or unable to leave their homes.
- There are reports of civilians being stopped from leaving Hodeidah city. There are specifically reports of people not allowed to cross checkpoints into southern territory. While roads to Sana’a and Hajjah are intermittently open, there have been reports that people have at times not been allowed to use them outward bound from Hodeidah. These reports come on top of previous reports indicating that road blocks are being put up on main roads inside Hodeidah city.
- While the situation on the ground remains largely static, there have been reports of an intensification in fighting on the ground as of 2 July.
- Hodeidah city remains largely calm, but tense. Businesses remain closed and people are mostly staying inside.
- Water and electricity shortages in Hodeidah also continue leading to increased concern for the risk of spread of cholera.
- OCHA has reported that money changers in the city remain closed. In view of longstanding liquidity problems, and the reported rise in prices of basic commodities and scarcity of many products in Hodeidah, this could indicate that people who might otherwise cope, will be left unable to purchase whatever is available. Humanitarian needs may therefore intensify sharply even absent the imminent threat of military action while negotiations are ongoing.
- Arrival of food and fuel at Hodeidah port remains relatively stable, with four vessels berthed this week at port, and another four ships moved into anchorage to await berths, according to UNVIM.
- It remains unclear whether and how talks will move forward, and what effect diplomatic efforts will have on the fighting on the ground over the next weeks.
Facts:
- Some 3.3 million people live in Hodeidah governorate, and 600,000 live in Hodeidah city.
- Some 29.3 million people live in Yemen.
- About 2.7 million people need humanitarian assistance across the country.
- Some 162,000 suspected cases of cholera have been identified in Hodeidah since April 2017, equating to 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:
NRC's media hotline, info@nrc.no, +4790562329