UN decries ‘deepening catastrophe’ in Yemen after milestone 1,000 days of bloodshed

Three-quarters of Yemenis, including over 11 million children, are in a desperate need of humanitarian aid while over a half are suffering dire food and water shortages, UN agencies are reporting, fearing the worst is yet to come.

The bloody conflict marked 1,000 days earlier this month since the Saudi-led military intervention in March, 2015. The gloomy anniversary spells further sufferings for civilian population and offers little hope for the future, as the war-ravaged country “has passed the tipping into a rapid decline from crisis to deepening catastrophe,” the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Food Program (WFP) said in a joint statement Friday.

Since the battle between Yemeni rebels and the forces of ousted President Abd Rabbu Mansour, backed by Saudi Arabia first erupted, “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world” has spread across the entire country, the statement says. The UN estimated that by the end of 2017, some 75 percent of the Yemeni population would require humanitarian assistance, including some 11.3 children who rely exclusively on aid to survive.
 rt.com
 31/12/17