Humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Johannes Van Der Klaauw, returns from Sa'ada, calls for protection of civilians and funding for scale up of aid effort [EN/AR]

(Sa'ada, 8 August 2015) The escalation of the conflict in Yemen has a devastating impact on civilian populations, as I witnessed in Sa'ada earlier this week. The violence has forced a large number of people to flee their homes. Civilian infrastructure such as health facilities, markets, shops, schools, banks and administrative buildings have been destroyed by airstrikes and fighting, paralyzing communities.

In Al Gomhori hospital I stood at the bed of a 15 year old boy who had been injured in an airstrike. He was the lone survivor of his family. I saw children whose limbs had to be amputated, permanently disabling them in the prime of their lives. I want to commend the brave and dedicated medical personnel, as well as our humanitarian partners and UN staff, who have remained in Sa'ada providing services at great personal risk.

I visited families who were forced to flee their homes. They have sought safety and security while hosted by families and local communities or living out in the open. Basic social services are overstretched and often unavailable. An old man living in a tent told me his family only eats every second day. Many families are in need of cooking utensils and gas, mattresses and blankets.

Violence that directly impacts on civilians and attacks on civilian infrastructure must stop. I cannot overemphasize the importance of all parties protecting civilian lives and livelihoods. Civilian infrastructure must be spared from airstrikes and shelling; at the same time these facilities must not be used for military purposes.

The humanitarian community will have to scale up its response to the staggering humanitarian needs across Yemen. A total of 21 million people require urgent, live-saving assistance in areas such as emergency shelter, food security, water and sanitation, medical care, nutrition and psycho-social support. We also need to bring children back to school and restore families' livelihoods.

Any effective humanitarian response needs unfettered humanitarian access and an enabling environment to deliver humanitarian assistance. Aid workers must be able to reach all people in need wherever they are and whenever required.

The success of our humanitarian effort depends on having sufficient resources to provide assistance. The humanitarian appeal unfortunately has only received 18 per cent of the requested $1.6 billion required for 2015. Significant donor contributions are needed immediately to alleviate the suffering of the girls, boys, women and men of Yemen.