‘Humanity can’t continue to lose out to politics’ – UN relief chief makes plea to save Yemen

‘The top UN humanitarian official has condemned opposing forces in Yemen’s civil war and their allies for destroying its health system and fueling a major cholera outbreak. He called for an immediate end to the air and sea blockade of the country.
“This is a man-made crisis, and the sheer scale of humanitarian suffering of the Yemeni people is a direct result of the conflict and serious violations of international law,” Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien told UN Security Council in a statement on Wednesday.
The aerial bombing campaign in support of the ousted Yemeni president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, was started by the Saudi-led coalition in March 2015. The campaign against the Houthi rebels and remnants of the country’s military loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh has had little to no military effect, but has resulted in over 10,000 civilian deaths, according to UN estimates.
The military campaign is also supported by a strict air and naval blockade on Yemen, backed by the US. It has drastically worsened the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country, effectively leading to the collapse of healthcare.’
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