Yemen: Situation critical for displaced persons

(Sana'a/New York/Dubai, 9 September, 2009): The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. John Holmes, today visited Mazrak camp in Haja Governorate, northern Yemen, where over 6,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are being sheltered, and a group of IDP families who have taken refuge in open land.

Since the conflict began in 2004, each round of fighting between Government forces and Al Houthi rebels in northern Yemen has had increasingly severe consequences for the local population. With the latest clashes, the total number of IDPs has swollen to an estimated 150,000, and for the first time the impact of the conflict has spilled out of Sa'ada into the neighbouring governorates of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah.

"I came to Mazrak camp and to this district today, to see first-hand the circumstances that the displaced people are living in, so that I could better understand how the international community can assist," said Mr. Holmes. "This part of the country has been experiencing instability for some time now, and for some of these people this is the second or third time that they have been displaced," he added.

While the majority of IDPs are living amongst host communities or in open spaces, some of the most vulnerable are seeking shelter in five camps that the humanitarian community has established since the conflict began. Having moved to areas where there is little basic infrastructure such as clean water sources, with scant means of supporting themselves, those concerned are largely dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival.

"The people who have fled to the camps have few or no safety nets or coping mechanisms," Mr. Holmes said. "Many came from conditions of great poverty, and have now lost the little that they had, so we need to help them with everything from shelter to food to clean water. However, we also need to help the thousands of people who, for one reason or another, prefer not to live in camps".

Agencies report that 20-30 newly displaced families (140-210 people) are arriving daily at Haradh, Haja Governorate, from the conflict-affected areas in Sa'ada. Some have travelled by foot through the mountain regions for as long as four or five days and arrive exhausted.

"The aid community is working hard with the local authorities to create an environment that can preserve the lives and dignity of the displaced people we can reach, for example in Hajja. Agencies have found innovative ways in which to meet the needs of IDPs both in and out of the camps, and to reduce the amount of time that they have to wait for assistance," Mr. Holmes said. There are still many we cannot reach as well as we would like, and our resources are finite. We will not be able to cope with the increasing caseload without increased international support".

A Flash Appeal issued in response to this crisis has received only 16.2% of the US$23.7 million requested since it was launched on 2 September, with a further US$3.5 million pledged. The Appeal is comprised of life-saving projects to assist the projected caseload of 150,000 IDPs and tens of thousands of others who have been indirectly affected by the conflict.

For further information, please call: OCHA Sana'a: Nadia Evans, +967712087883, +971502279808, evans2@un.org; OCHA-New York: Stephanie Bunker, +1 +1 347 244 2106, mobile +1 917 892 1679, bunker@un.org; Nicholas Reader, +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 3117, reader@un.org, John Nyaga +1 917 367 9262, +1 917 318 8917, nyagaj@un.org OCHA-Geneva: Elisabeth Byrs, +41 22 917 2653, mobile +41 79 473 4570, byrs@un.org OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int