Yemen: Impact of the Closure of Seaports and Airports

YemenExtra

SH.A.

On 6 November, the Saudi-led coalition (SLC) announced the ‘temporary’ closure of all of Yemen’s airports, seaports and land crossings stating that “the measures will be implemented while taking into consideration the continuation of the entry and exit of humanitarian supplies and crews in accordance with the Coalition’s updated procedures.”

However, since the SLC’s announcement, no permits have been received for humanitarian flights to and from Yemen and for WFP’s VOS Apollo boat to Aden.

A consignment of WHO medical supplies remains in Djibouti. In urban areas like Sana’a, fuel prices have sharply increased. Petrol has risen from 275 YER/liter to 335 YER/liter (an almost 22 per cent increase). Local bus fairs in Sana’a have doubled and in some cases tripled.

The UN and other humanitarian actors have all called for the borders to be re-opened and flights to be resumed, stressing that continued closure will sharply aggravate humanitarian crisis in Yemen and bring millions of people in Yemen closer to starvation and death.