Hundreds of Yemeni families in need of aid, UN humanitarian office warns

“Serious security risks” are hampering efforts by international organizations in Marib, which is located east of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, a UN spokesperson told journalists in New York.

In northern Yemen, continued fighting in al Jawf has displaced about 1,500 families since late July, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Humanitarian aid, meanwhile, is covering the needs of about 1,200 families, according to the UN spokesperson.

Last month, the Security Council voiced grave concern about recent deterioration of security in Yemen, condemning the actions of the Houthis, including their escalating campaign to bring down the Government and undermine the country’s political transition.

Yemen has recently emerged from a complex UN-backed transition, but recent months have been marked by violence and unrest in some parts of the country.

The Council called on the Houthis to withdraw their forces from Amran and return the city to Yemeni Government control; cease all armed hostilities against the Government in al Jawf; and remove the camps and dismantle the checkpoints they have erected in and around Sana’a.

The UN on Thursday  said that there is “very limited new displacement” in al Jawf this week despite continued fighting, because nearly all civilians have already left the sparsely populated areas of conflict.

Two displaced girls stand in front of the classroom where their family has been living in Aden, Yemen. Photo: UNHCR/P. Rubio Larrauri