The Number of People in Need of Humanitarian Aid in Yemen Has Risen to 20 Million: McGoldrick

YemenExtra

M.A.

The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen has risen to 20 million,” said UN Resident Representative Jimmy McGoldrick on Thursday.

As a result of the cholera epidemic, Yemen’s humanitarian response plan was revised, with two million people added to the number of those needing assistance, 20 million of whom 17 million are food insecure.

“Seven million people are unable to secure a meal every day, 500,000 children under the age of five need special care, and two million school-age children are unable to go to school,” he said at the conference.

He pointed out that eight million Yemeni workers had lost their sources of income, in addition to 3,000 medical workers unable to support their families, which contributed to the spread of cholera due to the inability of these workers to access their facilities.

Moreover, the humanitarian coordinator emphasized that the outbreak of cholera at this high rate exhausted all resources  attempting to prevent the outbreak. He noted that the latest statistics confirm the existence of 514 thousand cases of suspicion and nearly two thousand deaths.

“However, there is a significant reduction in the epidemic as a result of ongoing efforts to control the outbreak caused by some practices in this conflict,” he said.

“Parents should not have to choose between treating their children infected with cholera or feeding them, we have to stop this epidemic,” he continued.

He also expressed his regret at the continuation of the unclear position with regard to reaching a political solution and the absence of any signs indicating a near resolution and an end to the suffering of people.