nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
AL HUDAYDAH HUB In the two weeks preceding the ceasefire agreement in mid December, there were intermittent armed clashes and artillery exchange in several areas in and around Al Hudaydah City. Airstrikes continued sporadically in several locations including near the Al Mina, Bajil and Sukhnah, and in Ad Durayhimi and At Tuhayat districts. In Hajjah Governorate, armed clashes continued in Haradh and Hayran districts. According to the Protection Cluster, there were 114 civilian casualties in the reporting period, 35 of them fatalities. Damage was reported to houses, farms, businesses, mosques and water infrastructure.
During the reported period, WFP completed the November food basket distribution, reaching 33,582 families in Al Hudaydah Governorate, 155,467 beneficiaries in Hajjah Governorate, and 81,318 families in Al Mahwit Governorate. An international NGO, Norwegian Refugee Council, is still conducting the November food distribution in Hajjah which has so far reached 60,111 families.
In early 2017, UNHCR launched the Dangerous Crossings campaign to spread awareness among the tens of thousands of refugees and migrants who risk their lives crossing the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea from the Horn of Africa to war stricken Yemen. With the help of prominent musicians from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Egypt, UNHCR produced the Dangerous Crossings song to help raise awareness and break the business model of people trafficking and smuggling.
Despite increasing hostilities and access challenges, UNHCR provided life saving assistance to refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons during the first half of 2018.
UNHCR assisted return for Somali refugees in Yemen to Somalia continued in 2018 bringing the total number of Somalis voluntarily returning to over 2,000 persons.
An estimated 112,000 individuals have been newly displaced since December 2017, with an increase in protection and shelter needs of IDP families fleeing frontline hostilities.
Despite the volatile security environment, UNHCR with its partners, continues to carry out activities countrywide from hubs in Sana'a, Aden, Ibb, Hudaydah and Sa'ada. Humanitarian access and delivery remain affected by continuous insecurity, nonetheless UNHCR continues to advocate for unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access and for the protection of civilians. Given the recent escalation of conflict within Al Hudaydah, UNHCR is responding to the emerging needs of IDPs and refugees with protection monitoring assessments, psychosocial counselling and referral services.
With the intensifying of fighting around Hudaydah city, large scale displacement has taken place in the past four weeks. IOM along with other UN agencies dispatched medical teams, distributed Non Food Items and shelter kits, as well as food to various locations, and to Migrant Response Points  ( MRP )  servicing stranded migrants.
According to UN partners, more than 120,000 persons are displaced while 80,000 persons were assisted with food, emergency kits and lifesaving support. Health facilities in Hudaydah governate are closing due to the security situation; others had to suspend operations due to the displacement of many medical staff along with their families and locating to safer areas.
WADI SHAAB, 6th July, 2018  ( WAM )     The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has distributed 500 food parcels to the displaced population in Wadi Shaab in Maqareb District, on the borders of Taiz Governorate. These people returned to their villages after liberation of these areas from the Houthi militia.
BEIRUT, July 23  ( Thomson Reuters Foundation )    Yemen is close to famine after a 25 percent increase in levels of severe hunger this year and an offensive on the main port city of Hodeida, a lifeline for millions, humanitarian organisations warned on Monday.
In late January this year, an armed conflict erupted in Aden between troops under command of President ‘Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and those loyal to the Southern Transitional Council  ( STC ) , both in principle on the same side of the Yemeni war. The fighting left more than 40 people dead and several wounded. The conflict raised speculations of a crack in the Saudi led coalition that since March 2015 has waged war in Yemen. In Saudi political rhetoric, the war aims at bringing Hadi back to power as “the legitimate president.' Yet the Emiratis, a coalition partner, have in multiple ways contributed to the military and political strength of the southern opposition to Hadi's regime. The January fighting was not remarkable because it revealed a division in the coalition, tensions that were quickly deniedby an Emirati military spokesman. Rather, the event consolidated the STC as the true governing body in the south, simultaneously underlining the irrelevance in this part of Yemen of Hadi's so called legitimate government.
What sparked the January events? The tensions that led to the January fighting have been boiling for decades. Southerners' dissatisfaction started in the early years of unity in the 1990s once the exclusionist politics of the late President ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Salih became explicit. According to southerners, the regime voluntarily allocated national resources unfairly, flagrantly plundered southern land and properties, and destroyed accomplishments dating from the time before unity such as education and health care systems. The result was a transformation of the erstwhile national capital Aden into an ill functioning regional center. In response to protestations from southerners, the regime advanced a narrative of “equal suffering,' meaning that every region suffered underdevelopment due to national state's poverty  ( and thus southerners had no grounds to complain ) . Southerners recognized Salih's plundering of the south for what it was.
Since the start of the war, Aden residents have felt as if they were living in a huge garbage bin. They have seen the intensified collapse of water, power, health service, education and security. Preventable illnesses spread easily, malnutrition kills vulnerable people and desperation forces those who can to leave the country. While the “legitimate president' sits in a palace in Riyadh, his government has taken office in Aden. Residents are frustrated that while these local authorities have failed to fixthe electrical grid, they have responded to investors eager to establish a high speed communication network in a city with a power supply that fails for 16 hours a day. The last straw came when several hospitals in Aden announced that they may need to closedue to the power outages.
In November 2017, governor ‘Abd al Aziz al Mihlafi resigned. Hadi had nominated him to the post after sacking STC leader al Zubaydi in April of the same year. In a bitter letter addressed to the president, al Mihlafi accused the government of Prime Minister Ahmad Obeid Bin Daghr of stealing the funds allocated to repair the city's electrical grid and restore its water supply. He called the prime ministerthe “leader of a top level corruption ring.' The anger towards the government was fueled by the fact that Aden governorate has often been the only region to regularly pay all of the revenues collected from taxes and customs directly to the state treasury. When in January the city remained without a governor and in a state of rapid collapse, hundreds of activists took to the streets and openly challenged Bin Daghr, holding his government responsible for the desperate situation. A social media campaign followed with the hashtag #GovOverthrow.  [ 1 ]  The activists demanded that Hadi sack the prime minister and form a new government.
Since Aden was liberated from Houthi Salih forces in summer of 2015, four different governors have tried to improve life in the troubled city. Among them, the first one was nominated as a minister in Hadi's cabinet, one was assassinated, another was sacked and the latest resigned. The sacked governor was Aidrus al Zubaydi, who in May 2017 stepped into the leadership of the southern movement after mass demonstrators, who were protesting al Zubaydi's sacking by Hadi, demanded that he do so.
In May 2018, conflict front line in Yemen rapidly shifted north along the west coast of Yemen towards the port city of Al Hudaydah. The port of Al Hudaydah is the largest in Yemen, and along with the neighbouring port of Saleef, is the main supply point for fuel and other commodities to the north west of Yemen. The intensification of conflict is expected to disrupt supply lines between Al Hudaydah and neighbouring governorates, and to deteriorate life conditions for the Yemeni population.
The situation in the wider Hodeidah area is volatile, and fighting continues in Hodeidah's southern districts. Airstrikes have been ongoing around the city although they have slowed this week.
While some families with the means to do so are fleeing to Sana'a, Aden and other distant areas, the majority of displaced people are seeking refuge close to home within Hodeidah governorate. Some are even fleeing from the southern districts into the city.
As of 27 June, some 6,000 displaced families have received some kind of emergency assistance, as detailed in the response sections below.
Despite numerous challenges, some 6,000 displaced families displaced by the conflict in Al Hudaydah have received some kind of emergency assistance. Some 18,000 RRM kits, containing enough food rations for a family for a week, basic hygiene requirements and other essential items, are prepositioned in Al Hudaydah.
WHO has prepositioned 12 Severe Acute Malnutrition  ( SAM )  kits, each to benefit 50 malnourished children over a 3 month period in the districts of Bait Al Faqiah, Bajil, Al Thawra, Al Masouria and Al Marawi'ah.
The FSAC sub national cluster in Sana'a plans to provide a one off food distribution to the IDPs, using verification information provided by the RRM focal points. This one off distribution will be distributed as soon as the IRR kits are depleted  ( after seven days ) .
The conflict in Yemen has taken a disproportionate toll on the civilian population and we continue to urge all parties to the conflict to ensure adherence to the obligations enshrined under International Humanitarian Law. UNHCR also continues to appeal for the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need and the protection of humanitarian infrastructure.
In Hodeida, the conflict's latest epicenter, recent fighting endangered Al Thawra hospital, the city's largest health facility and one of its few remaining medical centres. Like all medical facilities, Al Thawra must be protected from attacks. Our teams recently visited displaced families living in a Hodeida school who eat only watery flour or a small portion of rice. The families' children are worryingly weakened and thin from a lack of food.
In general, women's inclusion brings different understanding to the conflict, expands the range of domestic constituencies and increases the legitimacy of the peace process. The Yemeni National Dialogue Conference adopted in itsoutcome documenta 30% inclusion quota for women in all government positions, as well as delegations and committees.
NEW YORK, 16 November 2018– “The increasing number of appeals for a ceasefire in Yemen and resumption of political talks, offer a glimmer of hope to Yemeni children that peace might one day return to their country.
“Children have suffered terribly during more than three years of conflict – at least 6,000 have been killed or seriously injured by the fighting, while over 11 million need humanitarian assistance to survive.
“Basic services like water, healthcare and sanitation have all but collapsed, and with the economy in freefall, families cannot afford to feed their children or bring them to health facilities. In Yemen, one child dies every 10 minutes from preventable causes, including malnutrition and vaccine preventable diseases.
Qatar Charity  ( QC )  has recently distributed 3,700 food baskets to the displaced people of Al Hudaydah Governorate in the capital Sana'a. The baskets worth up to QR 800,000 have benefited 26,000 people experiencing acute food insecurity, according to the classification of UN agencies operating in Yemen, while the charity prepares to provide food and shelter assistance for other 2,000 families this month, in conjunction with the approaching winter.
He also noted out that the charity would distribute food and shelter aid to other 2,000 families this month. he also pointed out that QC's office has recently distributed the benefits of the sponsorship for three months to 7,500 orphans, poor families and people with special needs sponsored by the charity, while the distribution of the benefits will continue to other 13000 sponsored persons during the coming period,
It is worth mentioning that the United Nations recently warned that nearly half of Yemen's population could be soon on the risk of starvation. It has already noted that 20 million Yemenis suffer from food insecurity or lack of food.
Abdullah sits with his 7 year old daughter Nehan as she receives treatment for cholera at a Mercy Corps supported health clinic in Yemen. More than 1 million cholera cases have been reported since April 2017. ALL PHOTOS: Ezra Millstein/Mercy Corps
Abdul Wahid is a case among 383 children affected by Houthi mines, along with 164 children killed by mines since the war started in 2015. According to statistics by Rasd Coalition for Monitoring Human Rights Violations, he is one of 75 children living in Marib governorate, who were disabled permanently because of the Houthi mines. Twenty nine children were also killed in Marib by mines since the outbreak of war there, according to official statistics in a report by the human rights office in the governorate.
Sana'a –Theconflict in Yemen – raging since March 2015 and recently intensified by clashes in and around Al Hudaydah over the weekend – has disrupted the lives of millions of Yemenis. Nearly ten per cent of the population, or 2.3 million people, are displaced as of June, according to the UN Migration Agency's  ( IOM )  Displacement Tracking Matrix.
IOM safe spaces allow children a respite from conflict – a place to play, learn and regain a sense of normalcy. Children participate in a variety of activities including games, artwork, puppet theatre, and storytelling. More than 170,000 girls and 230,000 boys have been served in centres operating in Aden and Sana'a to date.
Since March 2016, IOM has provided community based psychosocial support to nearly 400,000 children that utilize these spaces. More than half of these children have been displaced from their homes and live in informal sites throughout the country.
IOM staff psychologists have provided more than 100,000 psychosocial consultations for children and their guardians the CFSs since 2016. IOM also provides MHPSS in 61 health facilities across the country.
Mental Health and Psychosocial programming  ( MHPSS )  is part of IOM's integrated multisector humanitarian response inside Yemen. IOM also provides shelter, health, water and sanitation and displacement tracking and site level support to displaced and vulnerable Yemeni communities.
The conflict in Al Hudaydah Governorate has escalated further as renewed fighting has moved closer to Al Hudaydah City. On 12 September, armed clashes reached the main Al Hudaydah Sana'a road effectively closing the eastern route to the city which became too risky to use as a result of fighting. Hotspots of fighting and violence are areas east of Kilo 16, areas in the vicinity of the airport and coastal areas to the west towards the Red Sea.
Al Hudaydah port and Saleef port, to the north of the city, remain open and operational. They are critical to the supply of food and other humanitarian assistance to the capital Sana'a and other regions in northern Yemen; the majority of commercial food imports are shipped through the ports. Significant quantities of relief supplies are stored in humanitarian warehouses in Al Hudaydah, including in the Red Sea Mills, in the vicinity of Kilo 10.
The Red Sea Mills, which contain 45,000 MT of food commodities, enough to feed 3.5 million people for a month, have become inaccessible due to the ongoing hostilities. Several humanitarian organisations have offices in the same area and are concerned about the safety of their staff and premises.
Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly appealed to all parties to the conflict to ensure a sustainable flow of food and fuel from the Red Sea ports to the population in the northern governorates. Any interruption to the food supply chain will result in mass starvation for thousands of families. A joint statement by INGOs on 14 September indicated that if the ports or the roads between Al Hudaydah and Sana'a were closed, the effect for 17.8 million food insecure Yemenis would be devastating.
No large movements of people fleeing Al Hudaydah City have been observed as a result of the recent escalation, though on 14 September, UNHCR reported that fighting around Al Hudaydah had resulted in the displacement of about 500 families  ( approximately3,500 people )  from the Olia, Sofla and Alkembaha villages in Ad Durayhimi District into Al Hudaydah City.
As of 17 July, 1,014 displaced households have been assisted through the rapid response mechanism  ( RRM ) . The figure includes 271 displaced households currently living in six public schools in Sana'a City. As schools are due to reopen in few weeks, discussions and assessments are underway to move the IDPs to the Olympic Centre dormitory in the Capital.
The damage hits in every way. The missiles have torn apart buildings and the siege has torn apart families. Movement from the north to the south of the city can take six hours, using dangerous roads and tunnels. Before the war, it took 10 minutes.
Since 2015, access to basic services and sources of income has become increasingly challenging and, today, three quarters of the entire Yemeni population – 22 million women, children and men – find themselves dependent on some form of humanitarian assistance to survive.
“People in Yemen face two horrifying menaces: war and hunger. Civilians have paid the heaviest price for the conflict. Millions are displaced and millions go to bed hungry every night,' said Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC's regional director for the Near and Middle East.
Although there was no formal declaration of a ceasefire by the warring parties, the pause in fighting in and around Al Hudaydah City that started on 12 November contributed to a significant reduction of violence. Artillery shelling and airstrikes did not completely stop and continued to pose a threat to civilians, with incidents reported on 20 November near 50 Street around Al Saleh residential complex. Artillery shells also damaged houses in the 7 July neighborhood in Al Hali District. The Protection Cluster reported that on 20 November, three civilians were killed when airstrikes hit a house in Kulayb village south of Kilo 16 in Al Hali. On 19 November, one civilian was killed and four injured when an airstrike hit a vehicle on the main road in Al Maghras in At Tuhayat District.
There are in Yemen during any given year, 1.8 million children suffering from acute malnutrition. 400,000 children on any given day suffering from a life threatening form of severe acute malnutrition. Forty per cent of these 400,000 are living in Hodeida and in neighbouring governorates where the war is raging.
In Yemen, each new day of the conflict inflicts more suffering on an already battered and exhausted civilian population. Given the heavy human cost, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, urges parties to the conflict in Yemen to improve the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
SANA'A –The United Nations World Food Programme  ( WFP )  welcomes a new £25 million  ( US$33 million )  contribution from the United Kingdom to support more than 1.2 million people in Yemen, amid mounting fears of a potential famine in the country.
Thousands of people have been displaced by Tropical Cyclone “Luban' that made landfall on the coast of Yemen on 14 October. Three people are confirmed dead, 14 missing and more than 100 injured according to the Al Maharah Emergency Operations Room. The cyclone lost strength and has been downgraded to a Tropical Depression as of 15 October. In the last three days, several districts have been flooded following heavy rains, causing a significant number of houses to collapse.
The fragile health system in Yemen is also under immense pressure to sustain the growing medical needs of the population. Limited numbers of health professionals, shortages of medical supplies and restricted access to healthcare for civilians due to unrelenting fighting have increased the severity of disease outbreaks such as cholera.
Diphtheria, first reported in Yemen in October last year, is a contagious and potentially fatal disease that primarily infects the throat and airways.
Humanitarian responders continue to need access to security telecommunications and Internet connectivity services in order to carry out their work effectively and securely. Challenges include restrictions on importing equipment and difficulties in obtaining visas for staff missions to Yemen.
The intensity of fighting reduced in Al Hudaydah City on 12 November, amidst reports of a possible de escalation in hostilities, although some renewed fighting and airstrikes were reported again on 13 November, leading to a number of injuries.
The conflict in Al Hudaydah Governorate continues to exact a high civilian toll and to damage civilian infrastructure. The Protection Cluster's Civilian Impact Monitoring Project  ( CIMP )  reported 37 casualties between 18 and 31 October across the Al Hudaydah hub, including 21 civilians who died in an attack on a vegetable packing facility in Bayt Al Faqiah District. In the first week of November, as the conflict escalated, the Protection Cluster reported 92 civilian casualties, 34 of them fatalities. Most casualties were in Al Hali and Al Hawak districts on the outskirts of Al Hudaydah City, where some of the heaviest fighting was reported. CIMP also reported damage to civilian infrastructure.
Following the escalation of fighting at the start of November, civilian displacement was reported in Al Hudaydah City with some families fleeing their homes in neighbourhoods around Al Hudaydah University and Tehama Development Authority in the Alrabasa area. However, no mass displacement was reported. On 5 and 6 November, following overnight airstrikes, about 300 families fled their homes in the 7 July neighbourhood and 90 Street to seek refuge in Bajil and As Sukhanah districts. Some civilians were reportedly trapped between the university and airport in Al Hudaydah City.
In total, IOM registered 75,840 displaced families  ( over 455,000 individuals )  from Al Hudaydah Governorate in different locations across the country between 1 June and 6 November; of whom 148,000 people have been displaced from their homes in Al Hudaydah Governorate, seeking shelter in other areas of the same governorate, as the table on the right shows.
Nearly 18 million people in the country are food insecure, while 8.4 million people do not know how they will obtain their next meal. Trócaire has been working Islamic Relief Worldwide  ( IRW )  to provide emergency water, sanitation and hygiene programmes.
WHO reported that Al Thawrah and Al Salakhanah hospitals were accessible, but in the past week, Al Thawrah Hospital has received fewer patients. UNICEF warned that fighting close to Al Thawrah hospital would put the lives of 59 children at risk, including 25 who are in the intensive care unit. On 11 November, most medical staff and patients were evacuated from Al Thawrah due to fighting in the vicinity of the hospital, but the facility remains functional though but not to full capacity.
Conflict also continues to significantly impact civilians throughout much of the rest of the country. Ongoing hostilities, particularly in western and central governorates, place civilians in direct danger, limit their access to food and essential services, and at the same time restrict humanitarian operations in many areas.
According to the Logistics cluster, the major constraints to humanitarian access in Yemen include damaged road infrastructure, interferences in access in terms of both cargo and staff, and fuel shortages and high volatility in its prices. OCHA states that the access situation in Yemen remains extremely difﬁcult, with more than 1.4 million people in need located in districts with high access constraints, an increase of 200,000 people compared to February 2018.
We are concerned that the definition of "humanitarian supplies" is prohibitively narrow and that desperately needed supplies are being blocked. There must be a more generous interpretation so people have a hope to access what they need.
Depreciation of the Yemeni riyal  ( YER )  and resulting increases in the prices of essential food and fuel commodities continue to reduce the purchasing power of vulnerable Yemeni households, prompting some to adopt negative coping strategies, the UN reports.  The second round of an oral cholera vaccine  ( OCV )  campaign in three districts in Al Hudaydah and Ibb governorates reached more than 306,000 people from September 30 to October 5. As of early October, nearly 70 percent of Yemeni districts continued to report suspected cholera cases, according to the UN.
UNFPA has trained some 7,500 midwives in Yemen. With the support of partners, UNFPA remains on the ground, working now to support 2,500 unemployed midwives and establish community clinics for maternal and newborn health services. To date, a total of 120 community clinics have been opened in the hardest hit areas, including 40 this year, which have served more than 2,000 women and 1,900 newborns and children.
: Armed conflict remains the main driver of food insecurity in Yemen, curtailing food access for both the displaced and the host communities. The food security crisis is further exacerbated by extremely high food prices, the liquidity crisis, disrupted livelihoods, and high levels of unemployment. The large food gaps are only marginally mitigated by HFA which is not adequate to reverse the continuous deterioration of the situation.
The World Health Organization  ( WHO )  warned in October that the outbreak is accelerating again with roughly 10,000 suspected cases now reported per week, double the average rate for the first eight months of 2018.
On the 13th June, an offensive started along the red sea coast to take over Al Hudaydah Port by the Government of Yemen backed by the SLC  ( Saudi Led coalition )  leading thousands of families to leave their homes once again to safer areas within and outside the governorate.
Almost everyone in this community has relatives stuck inYemen, where almost four years of civil war has killed about 60,000 and left half of the 28 million population on the brink of starvation.
In Al Hudaydah Governorate, a total of 3,952 IDP households have been reached with potable water through water trucking and connecting water tanks to existing water schemes in Zabid, Bayt Al Faqiah, Al Garrahi, Al Marawi'ah, Al Khawkhah, Hays and Jabal Ra's districts. Eight water tanks and water points have been installed in Ad Durayhimi district.
Humanitarian partners continue to seek the most reliable and safest routes to assist people in need. As the eastern entrance to Al Hudaydah City remains inaccessible because of fighting along the Al Hudaydah Sana'a road, partners are now generally using alternative routes to the north to access Al Hudaydah City.
About 540,000 women, children and men who received a first dose of the vaccine in August, in Hudaydah and Ibb governorates, are targeted in this new four day campaign. More than 3,000 health workers have been trained and mobilized for this effort.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, in the December 2018 January 2019 period, some 15.9 million people  ( corresponding to 53 percent of the population )  are facing severe acute food insecurity  ( IPC Phase 3 and above ) , including 63 500 in Phase 5: “Catastrophe'. It is estimated that, in the absence of humanitarian food assistance, about 20 million people  ( or 67 percent of total population )  would be in need of urgent action to save lives and livelihoods. This would include about 240 000 people in Phase 5.
Around 50% of hospitals and health facilities in Yemen are either not working or functioning partially. People in many areas have to travel long distances in order to access basic health care.
Around 12,500 people are reported to have fled fighting in Al Dhale'e Governorate, according to the Protection Cluster. Damt district, which is halfway between Sana'a and Aden, has been affected by continued fighting, leading more than 1,750 families to flee their homes. Over 900 families are being hosted in neighbouring Qa'atabah district, while over 800 families have been displaced to different villages in Damt. Reports indicate that some of the displaced families are living in caves, and almost all of them are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection.
Suspected cholera cases have reduced by nearly three quarters from last year. Nevertheless, there have been close to 400 associated deaths and 295,000 suspected cases to date this year, compared to 2,300 deaths and 1.1 million suspected cases in 2017. Children under five account for one third of the deaths.
To enhance access to health care for people who would otherwise have to travel hundreds of kilometres to receive treatment WHO and health partners support the Minimum Service Package  ( MSP )  which focuses on eight priority health care services, targeting health facilities at the district level.
“A stronger offensive by the Saudi and Emirati led coalition backed forces was launched with a deployment of troops on the ground. They have moved quickly around the city,' says Frederic Bertrand, MSF head of mission in Yemen. “This raises fears of a siege which could affect the tens of thousands of people still living inside Hodeidah.'
“Every day we hear the sound of heavy airstrikes and shooting in the city,' says Bertrand. “On Monday afternoon  [ 5 November ] , ground fighting occured near Al Salakhana hospital and the MSF house. Our teams had to stay inside the hospital for their own safety.'
Colleagues, friends – 30,000 children in Yemen die every single year of malnutrition as one of the most important underlying causes. There is not one Amal – there are many thousands of “Amals'. Juliette  [ UNICEF Regional Chief of Communications ]  and I had the privilege of meeting many of them as we traveled through Yemen.
WHO is assisting the Ministry along with Health and WASH cluster partners to contain the outbreak through technical and logistical support. These efforts include strengthening disease surveillance; supporting operations in diarrhoeal treatment centres and oral rehydration corners; training the health workforce on case management; deploying rapid response teams; and improving the availability of safe water and sanitation.
Movements of civilians leaving Hodeidah were reported last weekend, but it is difficult to assess how many have already left the city. “Other civilians are reportedly trapped inside the city because of the ongoing ground fighting and airstrikes,' Bertrand explains.
More than 306,000 people in Yemen, including over 164,000 children under the age of 15, were vaccinated against cholera as part of a joint WHO UNICEF campaign that concluded today. The number are expected to go up as reports of the final day of the campaign come in. The six day vaccination effort, carried out by 3,000 health workers in three districts in Hudaydah and Ibb, was made possible by a pause in fighting – known as ‘Days of Tranquility' – agreed by parties to the conflict.
Cholera is endemic in Yemen. The country has experienced a surge in cholera cases since April 2017 due to ongoing conflict, destroyed infrastructure for health, water and sanitation, and malnutrition, which has made the population more vulnerable to various epidemic prone diseases including cholera.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that severe food shortages could deteriorate further if the truce in Hudaydah fails.
The rapid devaluation of the Yemeni Rial continues to hike price of basic commodities reducing the purchasing power of millions of people, creating uncertainities among traders and importers which has in turn resulted in scarcity of supplies in the market. According to FAO, immediate intervention is needed to avoid a complete collapse of the economy.
In Yemen, an estimated 22.2 million people require humanitarian assistance in order to meet their basic needs, including 17.8 million people who require emergency food assistance, according to the UN.
Dozens of children aged between 6 and 14 are feared dead with many more injured, after the school bus they were travelling in was hit by a suspected airstrike in the town of Dhahyan in Saada governorate in northern Yemen.
Restrictions imposed on Yemen's airspace by the Saudi led coalition led to the official closure of Sana'a International Airport to commercial flights on 9 August 2016. No commercial traffic has since been allowed access the airport, including to carry Yemenis who need lifesaving medical treatment abroad.
8.4 million people in Yemen are at risk of starvation, making it the world's worst humanitarian crisis in the eyes of the UN's Secretary General. Despite severe difficulties in accessing the conflict torn country, Cordaid is now offering emergency assistance to war victims in cooperation with a local partner organization.
More than three years of conflict have pushed Yemen to the brink of famine; nearly 18 million people do not know where their next meal is coming from and more than eight million of them live in extreme hunger and depend entirely on external food assistance.
“Airstrikes were intense earlier this week and we were very scared. Yesterday the situation was calmer. My neighbourhood looks like a ghost city, all my neighbours have fled because they were scared of the situation and of being bombed. I can no longer wait; the roads might be blocked and so I will leave to Hajjah.'
Despite so much natural beauty in Yemen there are always reminders that this is a country at war – a war which has been so devastating to 22 million people. There are regular reminders of the conflict at different points in the journey and, while our minds are focused very much on Hodeidah and a potential impending ground attack, it is also with the millions of children directly and indirectly affected by the horrendous conflict across Yemen
"Al Jumhuriyah Hospital was looted and destroyed by Houthi militias but was reopened in 2015 following UAE efforts to restore the hospital's basic infrastructure and provision of medical equipment and supplies. Refurbishment works encompassed the restoration of 18 clinics, which have so far have provided necessary medical attention to 120,000 individuals since its reopening," said Dr Tarek Mzaida, Deputy Director of the hospital.
The World Health Organization reports more than 3,000 local health workers have reached 266,000 people above the age of one with oral cholera vaccine. This is about half of the one half million people WHO and partners had hoped to immunize against this deadly disease.
3.1 million people have been reached with health assistance out of 12.3 million people targeted. Ten million people live in 100 districts prioritized for cholera response. The provision of health assistance continues to be challenged by the fact that only 50 per cent of health facilities are fully functional and the non payments of salaries to health staff.
SANA'A, 3 September 2018 – The World Health Organization  ( WHO )  airlifted, through several shipments in August, over 500 tons of essential medicines and medical supplies to Sana'a airport, to be distributed to affected governorates including Aden and southern governorates.
On 23 May 2018, tropical cyclone “Mekunu' swept through the island of Socotra flooding it heavily. On 24 May, the Government of Yemen declared a state of emergency and called on humanitarian organizations to support relief efforts. At the time of this report, rains have stopped and the cyclone is on course to make landfall in western Oman and eastern Yemen on 26 May.
Armed clashes are continuing along the Al Hudaydah coastline with significant advancement by forces supported by the Saudi led Coalition  ( SLC )  towards Al Hudaydah City. As of 28 May, fierce clashes were continuing between armed elements in Ad Durayhimi District. Intensive airstrikes were reported in areas where clashes are ongoing as well as in At Tuhayat District.
Health facilities supported by the National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response continue to provide services to beneficiaries in Sana'a, Amran, Ibb and Al Jawf governorates as part of the emergency medical services project funded by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs  ( OCHA ) .
Over the last six months, the intensification of the conflict in Yemen's western coast has prompted the displacement of 100,000 new IDPs in areas reached by humanitarian partners based in the Aden hub. Since December 2017, displacement has been reported in Abyan, Lahj and Aden governorates, with close to 5,000 families now residing in coastal areas of Taizz and Al Hudaydah.
Heavy fighting continued in different parts of the governorate with the Saudi led Coalition reaching Al Hudaydah airport. Airstrikes were reported in some locations in Al Hudaydah City including the University and in Ad Durayhimi District. Clashes were reported in multiple locations in Ad Durayhimi, At Tuhayat, Bayt Al Faqiah and Hays districts, with unverified casualties.
As heavy fighting continued along the western coast of Yemen, including heavy shelling from air, sea and land, the humanitarian community has been vocal in calling on all parties to the conflict respect International Humanitarian Law; ensure the protection of civilians and their access to the assistance they need to survive. The humanitarian implications of an attack on Al Hudaydah City, inhabited by an estimated 600,000 people, would be enormous.
Since the fighting erupted on 28 January, 36 people have reportedly been killed and 185 have been wounded. It is not clear how many of these are civilian casualties. Humanitarian operations at the Aden hub have slowed down significantly as movements to and outside Aden remain suspended.
ISIL claims deadly suicide car bombings in Yemen's Aden Dozens of people have been killed or wounded in two suicide car bombings in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, witnesses and local medics say.
Deadly air attacks pound Houthi held Hodayda Three days of air attacks by the Saudi led coalition have pounded a rebel held region in western Yemen , displacing thousands of people already in severe need of humanitarian aid. Dozens of Houthi fighters have reportedly been killed by the attacks on Hodayda.
Yemen's war has also triggered the world's worst humanitarian crisis with more than two million people displaced and millions living on humanitarian assistance.
The number of cholera cases tipped over the one million mark in late December of last year and has killed more than 2,200 people.
GENEVA  ( Reuters )    Twenty two Ethiopian migrants are missing after being dumped in the sea off Yemen, the U.N. International Organization for Migration  ( IOM )  said on Friday.
Al Mukalla: At least six people were killed on Tuesday when a suicide bomber blew up his explosive rigged car at a kitchen diner in a military camp run by UAE backed and trained Security Belt in Yemen's port city of Aden, a security officer told Gulf News by telephone.
CAIRO: The World Health Organisation says a diphtheria outbreak in war torn Yemen has spread rapidly nationwide and infected more than 1,300 people.
Delivery of humanitarian and commercial goods in Yemen remains delayed, further exacerbating the humanitarian situation.The Saudi led coalition Yemen Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations  ( YCHO )  ishinderinghumanitarian efforts by diverting cargo away from al Houthi ports, according to the UN. The coalition designed YCHO to enable the coalition to shape the delivery of aid for its own benefit. The humanitarian situationremains“catastrophic' despite an increase in international and coalition funding for aid relief.
The nearly 3 year old Yemen war has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced 2 million and helped spawn a devastating cholera epidemic in the Arab world's poorest country. Amid its humanitarian crises, Yemen's culture and historical sites have also been affected.
The outbreak of cholera has been described as the largest outbreak in world history with over 1 million people affected by the disease.This treatable disease can be contained, but unfortunately it has spread and claimed the lives of thousands of people. Children are among the worst affected.
Al Mukalla: The Iran backed Al Houthi movement is the most dangerous threat to security and stability in Yemen as they have killed thousands of Yemeni soldiers and mounted a coup against the internationally recognised president, Yemen's prime minister said.
SHABWA, Yemen   The Emirates Red Crescent on Thursday signed an agreement to establish an integrated solar operated water pump unit in Yashbm, Governorate of Shabwa, which should address the energy needs of around 5000 people.
Al Mukalla: At least 63 Al Houthi militants have been killed over the past couple of days in heavy clashes with government forces in Nehim district, just outside of rebel held Sana'a, Yemen's Defence Ministry said.
WFP chartered an additional vessel, VOS Theia, to perform regular return trips between Djibouti and Hodeidah. This vessel, will operate in addition to the VOS Apollo vessel serving Aden, was chartered to address the increasing humanitarian needs in Yemen, and thus allowing for the timely and effective response of humanitarian organisations. In addition, the vessel will strengthen the marine evacuation assets in line with HCT policy to ensure staff safety and security. VOS Theia is expected to start operating on 15 March, it will carry both humanitarian cargo and passengers. The Logistics Cluster will facilitate access to the service for humanitarian organisations.
Already battered by three years of war, Yemen is in danger of tipping into famine in 2018 if fighting continues to disrupt imports of food aid, aid agencies warned.
At least 471 people in Yemen are believed to have been infected with diphtheria, killing one in 10 of them since the outbreak began in mid August, the World Health Organization  ( WHO )  said on Thursday.
Britain, the United States and France want the United Nations Security Council to condemn Iran for failing to stop its ballistic missiles from falling into the hands of Yemen's Houthi group and commit to take action over the sanctions violations, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters on Saturday.
Aid workers have been kidnapped, arbitrarily detained, and killed while engaged in humanitarian operations in Yemen.
CAIRO  ( Reuters )    The Saudi backed Yemeni government will not allow its Houthi foes to keep the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, the information minister said, underlining its intention to remove the vital aid delivery point from the control of the Iran aligned group.
The Yemen war has killed more than 10,000 people, destroyed Yemen's infrastructure and pushed the country to the brink of famine, and there is no sign that the conflict will end soon.
A cholera outbreak has also killed some 1,900 more people since April and infected more than 400,000 and the number is expected to rise to more than 600,000 by the end of the year, according to estimates by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The conflict has unleashed what the United Nations says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis, including one of the most deadly cholera epidemics in modern times and economic collapse, which has spread hunger.
Lack of wages and soaring prices have pushed many basic commodities beyond the reach of many Yemenis.
The clash late on Saturday between members of the Houthi movement and loyalists of a powerful former president killed at least three combatants and marked a breakdown within the main political gathering confronting a Saudi led military coalition in Yemen's 2 1/2 year old war.
“The bodies of 10 people have been found and a search is continuing for the other eight,' the agency quoted one official as saying, appealing for international help.
Aid organizations have warned that the rainy season could exacerbate a cholera epidemic in Yemen. Since it began four months ago, it has infected more than half a million people and killed nearly 2,000, the World Health Organization  ( WHO )  said earlier this month.
ADEN  ( Reuters )    At least 11 people were killed on Tuesday in a suicide car bomb attack on a checkpoint in southeastern Yemen run by local forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, officials and residents said.
DUBAI  ( Reuters )    The armed Houthi movement and their foes in Yemen's civil war, the Saudi led coalition, on Saturday gave conflicting accounts of a Houthi attempt to attack shipping in the Red Sea port of al Mokha.
The war has already killed more than 10,000 and displaced millions, with around 500,000 cholera cases reported in the country since the worst outbreak in decades started in April.
BEIRUT  ( Thomson Reuters Foundation )    As Yemen teeters on the brink of famine, with soaring food prices and fuel shortages, humanitarians called on Tuesday for the easing of a Saudi blockade to allow in life saving supplies.
The conflict has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced more than 2 million and triggered a cholera epidemic that has infected about 1 million people.
The Saudi led coalition fighting in Yemen on Thursday asked the United Nations to take control of the airport in the capital Sanaa, which is in territory controlled by the rival Houthi rebel movement, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Yemen has been torn apart by a civil war in which the internationally recognized government, supported by the Saudi led coalition, seeks to push back gains made by the Iran allied Houthi rebels.
A quarter of the 28 million population are starving, according to the United Nations, with half a million children under the age of 5 severely malnourished and at least 2,135 people killed by cholera.
The Houthis are holding their ground despite air strikes by Saudi Arabia and its allied forces and a naval blockade that has prevented food, medicine and fuel from arriving in Houthi controlled northern areas, bringing the region to the brink of famine.
BEIRUT  ( Thomson Reuters Foundation )    After enduring three years of war, hunger and disease, Yemenis could now be at heightened risk of catching malaria due to a collapsing health care system, aid agencies said on Thursday.
The World Health Organization  ( WHO )  estimated that malaria cases rose in 2016 to 433,000 from 336,000 the year before.
Poor access to healthcare, clean water and sanitation put more people at risk of the life threatening disease, according to aid agencies.
“Yemen is living with the catastrophic consequences of a protracted conflict that has destroyed much of its vital infrastructure and brought the health system to the brink of collapse,' said Mirella Hodeib, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross  ( ICRC ) .
The conflict has killed more than 10,000 people and crippled Yemen's economy and healthcare system.
ADEN  ( Reuters )    The Saudi led military coalition fighting the Houthi movement in Yemen has allowed work to resume at the southern port of Aden, two days after ordering a nationwide stoppage, an official there said on Wednesday.
The conflict has pushed Yemen, already one of the Arab world's poorest countries, toward humanitarian collapse as hunger and disease spread.
The U.N. refugee agency  ( UNHCR )  said on Wednesday that the latest fighting had hindered access to people in need.
“UNHCR emergency aid distributions and humanitarian assessments planned this week for vulnerable, displaced Yemenis have now been postponed and UNHCR humanitarian cargo remains at Aden port unable to be released,' the group said.
Yemen relies heavily on food imports and is on the brink of famine. Nearly 1 million people have been infected with cholera.
More than 22 million Yemenis need some form of aid, and eight million do not know how they will obtain their next meal.