UN says $ 3.9bn needs help in Yemen as tensions rise | Issues of Humanitarian Relief

The UN says that funding is needed to help some 16 million people in war-torn countries.

The United Nations will need $ 3.9bn this year to help millions of people in war-torn Yemen, says a UN humanitarian official.

Assistant Secretary-General of Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Emergency Management Ramesh Rajasingham told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the “biggest problem right now is funding” to help nearly 16 million people in Yemen, where civil war has been raging for years. seven years.

“I urge all donors to continue – and if possible, increase – their support this year,” Rajasingham said.

He added that spending has been declining in recent years, the response rate last year was only 58 percent and the UN World Food Program in December announced a reduction in its budget to help 8 million people.

“Other essential programs, including water, safety and reproductive services, have also been forced to reduce or close in recent weeks due to lack of funding,” Rajasingham said.

Except for money, the opportunity to help people and security is also a major barrier to support.

On Wednesday, the UN announced another warning war in the country, noting that the warring parties have intensified their efforts to win the war.

Hans Grundberg, the UN secretary-general’s representative in Yemen, told the Security Council that the warring factions were “increasingly involved in military elections”.

“During the seven years of the war, the common belief in both sides of the conflict seems to be that injury to others is enough to force them to surrender. However, there is no definitive long-term solution that can be found on the battlefield, “he said.

The parties, Grundberg said, would instead turn to negotiations “even though they were not prepared to lay down their weapons”.

Grundberg said it appeared the country was “entering a state of extreme crisis that could destabilize civilians and a hope for peace”.

The civil war in Yemen began in 2014 when Houthi-backed Houthi militants seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to support the government the following year.

The UN said that the war had taken place killed By 377,000 people by the end of 2021, directly and indirectly through hunger and disease.