News in Brief 18 January 2022
- Peaceful protesters killed or injured almost every day in Sudan
- Conflict escalates in Yemen with more civilians dead
- Earthquake in Afghanistan kills at least 26
The United States government’s decision to designate Ansar Allah, more commonly known as the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, as terrorists, is likely to have “serious humanitarian and political repercussions”, the UN spokesperson said on Monday.
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen told an emergency session of the Security Council on Tuesday that a recent upsurge in violence between pro-Government and rebel forces following weeks of relative calm, had to end “before it’s too late”.
There are “small signs” of hope for Yemeni civilians caught up in fighting, following a reduction in violence, coupled with a 20 per cent increase in funding for the UN’s humanitarian response, the Security Council heard on Thursday.
The UN Secretary-General appealed on Sunday for “maximum restraint" following a wave of drone attacks claimed by Houthi rebels in Yemen, against two Saudi Arabian-based petroleum processing facilities, which threaten to disrupt global oil supplies.
The World Food Programme (WFP), the UN’s emergency food relief agency, confirmed on Friday in a statement that it has started a "partial suspension" of aid to areas of Yemen controlled by Houthi opposition forces, including the capital, Sana’a.
The suffering of millions of children across Yemen has become “invisible to the rest of the world” according to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in the war-ravaged country.
Merixtell Relaño said the impact of the fighting between coalition-backed government forces and so-called Houthi rebels, on children and families, has been “catastrophic”.
The conflict has fuelled what UN agencies are calling the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with 6.8 million on the brink of famine.
The humanitarian situation in the besieged Yemeni city of Taizz has been described as “serious” by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The agency said 13 of its trucks laden with blankets, mattresses and other relief items arrived there on Sunday after being blocked over the last nine months.
A year-long conflict between government forces and Houthi rebels has devastated the country, leaving some 80 per cent of the population in need of relief assistance.
Basma Baghall has been speaking with UNHCR’s Mogib Hassan who’s based in the region.
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