UN calls for immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen

The United Nations warned on April 10 that the situation in Yemen is “deteriorating by the hour” and that conflict shows no signs of abating across the country.

In the context of the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, the United Nations on April 10 called for a humanitarian ceasefire to facilitate relief operations and the evacuation of people trapped in war zones.

The United Nations warned on April 10 that the situation in Yemen is “deteriorating by the hour,” with conflicts showing no signs of abating across the country and seriously affecting people’s lives.

Scene of devastation caused by conflict in Bani Matar, about 70km from the capital Sanaa. (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

The UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Johannes Van Der Klaauw, has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, saying the UN needs at least a few hours a day to be able to provide assistance to the people there.

“As the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen reports, the humanitarian situation in the country is deteriorating by the hour. The conflict has now spread to almost all of Yemen. The UN calls on all parties to implement an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to allow humanitarian operations to proceed safely, to deliver assistance to the most vulnerable Yemenis, and to facilitate the access of humanitarian personnel and supplies by air and sea,” said Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesman.

Last week, the International Red Cross also called for a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire, but received no positive response from relevant parties, while the humanitarian situation is increasingly serious: hospitals are running low on medicine and medical equipment, while people lack food, fuel and clean water.

In Aden, the largest city in the south and home to Yemen’s internationally recognized government, the situation is particularly worrying. Two planes carrying 32 tons of medicine and medical equipment landed in Yemen on Monday, the first humanitarian shipment to enter the North African country by air since the Saudi-led Arab coalition began airstrikes in Yemen late last month.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 650 people have died and more than 2,000 have been injured in just under a month. And the actual numbers are likely to be even higher because many victims do not make it to the hospital.

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that over the past 10 days, more than 300 Yemeni refugees have arrived in Djibouti and the UN agency is ready to assist and accommodate more Yemeni refugees, estimated to reach 30,000 in the next 6 months in Djibouti and about 100,000 in Somalia.

As tensions in Yemen show no signs of easing, Pakistan's parliament on April 10 voted to pass a document asking the government to maintain a neutral stance on the crisis in Yemen and step up efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict that could further shake the Middle East and neighboring regions.

This also means rejecting Saudi Arabia's call for Pakistan to send troops, warships and fighter jets to join Saudi-led campaigns in Yemen./.

According to VOV.VN