Famine has devastated most of Yemen’s governorates since 2014, killing hundreds of children and endangering hundreds of thousands more.
Barrels of garbage and tree leaves have become sources of food for children and mothers in Yemen, and the numbers are likely to rise with the rapid increase in food prices, the lack of livelihoods, and the looting of humanitarian aid funds.
The spread of famine is a crime borne by armed groups and local mercenaries affiliated with regional and international powers, as they are all involved in a comprehensive and direct economic war that has affected nearly thirty million people in Yemen.
We at Seyaj are outraged by the persistence of the conflict and the exacerbation of its destructive consequences on civilians, especially in light of the international community’s apparent impotence in the face of famine. According to reports, emergency humanitarian aid does not reach all individuals who need it, owing to corruption, looting, prevention, confiscation, and inadequate storage.
Seyaj organization appeals to the United Nations to promptly urge the international community to confront the scourge of famine.
The crisis is constantly expanding due to the collapse of the local currency, the cessation of salary payments, and the expansion of the armed conflict and its repercussions.
The regulations that govern how humanitarian relief funds are allocated must be revisited, seeing as existing procedures have proven ineffective despite alleged vast capacities. According to several estimates, the percentage of people who receive humanitarian relief does not surpass 40%.
Seyaj calls for allowing life-saving humanitarian aid to reach all those in need, without agenda imposition and inhumane aid subversions. It demands the persecution of parties that loot aid for military purposes and easy enrichment at the expense of millions of hungry and homeless people, most of whom are children and women.
Issued by Seyaj Organization for Child Protection – Yemen, October 2, 2018
