nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
Children, mostly boys, are at an elevated risk of recruitment to armed groups. Between October 2017 and September 2018, 530 cases of child recruitment were reported and verified, compared to 735 cases between September 2016 and October 2017. The actual extent of grave violations of children's rights is almost certainly far higher than reported and verified cases. Underreporting is attributed to shrinking child protection space due to lack of access in some conflict affected communities and sensitivities around protection issues.
Food assistance has played a critical role in preventing Yemen slipping into famine. The current scale up is in response to increased needs caused by the ongoing conflict which has also exacerbated an economic decline that has resulted in food prices 66 162 percent higher than before the crisis. About 20.1 million people are currently food insecure which is a staggering two thirds of the population and represents a 13 percent increase from 2018. This makes Yemen the world's largest food security crisis.
Restrictions on fuel imports have sparked critical shortages and price hikes across the country, severely impacting access to safe water and other services, including health care and sanitation. The cost of fuel has more than doubled, jeopardizing the provision of water, particularly for the most impoverished. Water pumping stations serving over 3 million people via public networks in 14 cities are running out of fuel.
In Yemen, one of the world's most water scarce countries, the ongoing war continues to exasperate the dire humanitarian situation particularly for children and women who depend on clean drinking water and sanitation for good health and survival. According to the UN OCHA's 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview  ( HNO ) , an estimated 16 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance to access safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene facilities, out of which 11.6 million are in acute need.
It is estimated that 30% of water stations operate only once a month due to lack of fuel and financial resources, while the remaining 70% are in poor conditions and inoperable. Prices of commercially trucked water – a main source for one fifth of Yemen's population have skyrocketed forcing people to spend long hours waiting in endless lines to secure a few liters of water for their families from free water sources randomly supported by donors. The situation is even more miserable in rural areas, with some women spending four to five hours a day collecting water from remote locations.
The local economy continues to greatly suffer amid the collapse of public services leading to social collapse and increased risk of disease and starvation. Collapsing urban water and sanitation systems, deteriorating water and sanitation conditions in rural areas, and lack of means to maintain personal hygiene and purchase safe drinking water all contributed to one of the worst cholera outbreaks.
Since 2015, RRD has operated in governorates including Sana'a, Al Mahwit, Hodeidah, and Hajjah governorates to provide humanitarian assistance in the Health and Nutrition sectors as well as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene projects. RRD works and coordinates with local authorities and stakeholders to conduct need assessments, presenting key findings to donors seeking to fund interventions aimed at meeting needs of conflict affected communities.
ASIR, Jan. 10  ( Saba )  –The units of the army supported by popular forces on Thursday repelled an infiltration of Saudi led mercenaries off Aleb crossing in Asir, a military official told Saba. Dozens of the mercenaries were killed and injured during repelling their infiltration off Aleb crossing border, added the official. The mercenaries were inflicted huge losses in equipment's without achieving any progress.
FEWS NET estimates that approximately 17 million people in Yemen would be in need of urgent action  ( IPC Phase 3 or higher )  in the absence of ongoing humanitarian food assistance. Sa'ada and Hajjah governorates are in Emergency  ( IPC Phase 4 ) , which is associated with large food consumption gaps and/or extreme depletion of livelihood assets. Of the remaining governorates in Crisis  ( IPC Phase 3 ) , six would be in Emergency  ( IPC Phase 4 )  in the absence of ongoing assistance.
Between December 2018 and January 2019, large areas will remain in Crisis  ( IPC Phase 3 ) , as large scale assistance prevents a deterioration to Emergency  ( IPC Phase 4 )  in many areas. In the most likely scenario, humanitarian food assistance will continue through early 2019 and large areas will remain in Crisis through May 2019.
From week 52 in 2018 to week 3 in 2019, the trend of weekly reported suspected cholera cases was stable at the country level, although 225 districts have reported suspected cholera cases within the last three weeks. During this reporting period, the governorates reporting more than 1000 suspected cases were Al Hudaydah  ( 1179 ) , Amanat Al Asimah  ( 1150 ) , and Arman  ( 1040 ) .
To date, out of 10 900 samples collected since January 2018, 3451 were confirmed as cholera positive by culture at the central public health laboratories in Al Hudaydah, Sana'a, Taizz, and Aden governorates. This reporting period, 26 stool samples from Amanat Al Asimah  ( 10 ) , Sanaa  ( 7 ) , Al Mahwit  ( 1 )  and Aden  ( 1 )  tested positive.
Arashy, a village of around 1,750 people, lies at the end of a potholed mountain road in Al Dhale'e governorate, Yemen. The road represents the only means of access to the village. Prior to ACTED's intervention, some sections were so badly rain damaged that vehicles could no longer pass, risking the almost total isolation of Arashy's residents. Samer, a village resident was among those who carried out the vital restoration work to reconnect Arashy with the outside world.
07 February, 2019   The Ministry of Public Health and Population of Yemen has reported 8570 suspected cases and 9 associated deaths during epidemiological week 2  ( 7 – 13 January )  in 2019. 10% are severe cases. The cumulative total number of suspected cholera cases from 1 January 2018 to 6 January 2019 is 387 860, with 526 associated deaths  ( CFR 0.14% ) . Children under five represent 32.0% of all suspected cases. Twenty two of 23 governorates and 312 of 333 districts in Yemen have been affected by the outbreak.
From week 51 in 2018 to week 2 in 2019, the trend of weekly reported suspected cholera cases was stable at country level, even though 222 districts continue to report suspected cholera cases over the past three weeks. In this reporting period, upward trends were observed in only Lahj, where 68 suspected cholera cases were reported. The governorates reporting over 1000 suspected cases are Al Hudaydah  ( 1428 ) , Arman ( 1094 ) , and Amanat Al Asimah  ( 1048 ) .
Bonn, 05/02/2019 According to Welthungerhilfe's assessment, the situation in Yemen is dramatically worsening despite current peace efforts. According to the latest UN figures, nearly 16 million people are going hungry, despite international aid deliveries. This is more than half the population. Around 2 million children under five are already undernourished. Without further assistance, about 250,000 Yemenis will face the risk of famine.
In apress conferenceheld without notice on 16 January 2019, the SELC appointed platform for investigating such incidents, the Joint Incidents Assessment Team  ( JIAT ) , made various unacceptable and contradictory claims that portray MSF as responsible for, rather than a victim of, the bombing. While the report recognises that the SELC was partly responsible for the bombing, it fails to shed full light on – and attribute clear responsibilities for – yet another attack on humanitarian and medical work in Yemen. Instead, the report seeks to shift responsibility for the attack away from the SELC, claiming that MSF did not take the appropriate measures to prevent the bombing.
The Special Envoy said that it was “important not to lose sight of the big picture necessary to resolve the conflict in Yemen. A framework that will draw a road map towards a political agreement will provide us with a basis for the end game; that is the political solution for the conflict there.' He added that “we have seen the two parties demonstrate remarkable political will, first to reach a ceasefire agreement, and then to abide by it. What we need to see now is the implementation of the provisions of the agreement, fully and rapidly.'
At least one child dies every ten minutes in Yemen because of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea, malnutrition and respiratory tract infections. Children are especially affected by growing rates of malnutrition. An estimated two million children are acutely malnourished, including nearly 360,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition  ( SAM ) . The risk of acute malnutrition for children under age 5 remains high especially in active conflict or access restricted communities such as Al Hudaydah, Hajjah and Taizz.
At the end of 2018, Yemen remains the world's largest humanitarian crisis with nearly 22.2 million people   75 per cent ofthe population   in need of humanitarian assistance. Preliminary results of a Integrated Phase Classification  ( IPC )  Food Security Analysis indicates that more than 20 million Yemenis – two thirds ofthe population – are now food insecure. Ten million ofthem are found to be severely food insecure – more than twice the number of four years ago. In addition, more than half the districts across the country have slipped into “emergency' conditions – nearly 60 per cent more than in 2017.
After two and half years, the political process towards a comprehensive solution to the conflict resumed on 13 December, reaching several agreements that form the Stockholm Declaration. These include agreements on a ceasefire and redeployment of troops in the City of Hodeida, and the ports of Hodeida, Salif and Ras Issa; an executive mechanism on activating the prisoner exchange agreement and a statement of understanding on Taizz. On 21 December the Security Council under Resolution 2451 endorsed the Stockholm Declaration insisting that the parties fully respect the ceasefire in Hodeidah Governorate, which came into force on 18 December, and complete force redeployment by 21 January 2019. The Council also authorized the Secretary General to establish a monitoring team for an initial period of 30 days from the adoption of this resolution.
Recent focus group discussions with refugees and asylumseekers in Aden, Kharaz camp  ( Lahj )  and Mukalla indicate that over 40 per cent of registered persons in the south need humanitarian assistance to meet basic needs. Nearly half of families surveyed reported reducing the number of meals per day, and 52 per cent reported buying cheaper, less preferred food. Protection assessments have indicated that highestpriority needs are food  ( 39 per cent ) , cash assistance  ( 34 percent ) , health  ( 13 per cent )  and water  ( nine per cent ) . About a third of households reported having no income at all.
The risk of famine in Yemen is intensifying and requires an integrated analysis and response. Based on analysis of food security, nutrition, WASH and health conditions, partners estimate that 230 districts  ( 69 per cent of all districts in the country )  are currently at heightened risk of sliding into famine.25 An estimated 18.7 million people live in these districts, including 7.4 million who need life saving food and livelihoods assistance, 8.3 million people in acute of WASH support and nearly 8.9 million who are in acute need of healthcare. In addition, 3 million people need nutrition assistance, including 2 million acutely malnourished children under age.
As a result of these actions, the displacement waves increased towards Abs and Ku'aydinah districts in addition Shafar area with displaced families mostly in need for Shelter/NFI assistance as a lifesaving response in addition to existing gaps in Hayran district which received a number of IDPs during the previous months. AGF  ( All Girls Foundation for Development )  completed needs assessment in Al Munirah and Al Az Zaydiyah districts and found 200 families in need for NFIs  ( Non Food Items )  and EESKs  ( Enhanced Emergency Shelter Kits ) . SNC  ( SubNational Cluster )  organized an ad hoc meeting to mainly review the results of the CCPM  ( Cluster Coordination Performance Monitoring )  and develop an action plan to improve the coordination in 2019.
Approximately 6.7 million people require assistance to meet needs related to shelter, NFIs or camp coordination and camp management services  ( CCCM ) . This includes 4.5 million people who are in acute need. Rising needs reflect the impact of escalating conflict in the last year, which saw the number of IDPs increase by 65 per cent to 3.3 million people.
The most severe needs across multiple sectors are concentrated in areas of ongoing conflict or areas with large numbers of IDPs and returnees. Many of these areas were contending with chronic and existing vulnerabilities in terms of food security, nutrition, water and healthcare before the current crisis. Nearly four years of conflict have exacerbated these challenges, pushing millions more into humanitarian need.
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.
As a result, a large number of households in most districts across the country are forced to engage in negative coping strategies, including reducing the number of meals or size of food portions, consuming less preferred foods and prioritizing children's consumption. In addition, households have also resorted to practices that will undermine their longer term food security, such as selling animals and household items.
According to the Protection Cluster, hostilities continued in the main conflict areas on the western and eastern outskirts of Taizz City, in Maqbanah in the northwest, and in the southeastern border districts of Hayfan and AlSilw. In Damt District, on the eastern side of Ibb Governorate, armed clashes continued reportedly causing the displacement of civilians to various governorates and within Ibb.
In a country with one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the Arab region, the lack of food, poor nutrition and the eroding health system, worsened by epidemics such as cholera and diphtheria, have increased the number of premature or low birth weight babies and of women suffering from severe postpartum bleeding. The process of giving birth has become much more lifethreatening. In 2015, the maternal mortality ratio was 385 maternal deaths out of every 100,000 live births.
Living conditions exacerbate needs. IDPs in hosting sites are considered the most vulnerable as they have practically no other option. An estimated 26 per cent of IDPs are living in hosting sites including public buildings, collective centres, or dispersed spontaneous settlements.36 Many IDP hosting sites are spontaneously constructed from rudimentary materials, while a number are in unfinished buildings or structures. Some spontaneous settlements are erected on drainage lines, or in valleys where they are exposed to flooding or landslides.
More than one million people have returned from displacement to their areas of origin. Assessments indicate that Aden, Amanat al Asimah and Taizz have the highest numbers of returnees. Most returnees have returned to their former residences, many of which are damaged, and they are generally unable to afford repairs. Returnees often face challenges to restore social, health, housing and community infrastructure to restart their lives, and often require support to resume their livelihoods. MCLA findings indicate that returnees most frequently identify food among their top three priorities, followed by livelihoods and drinking water.
Approximately 9.9 million people  ( 9.65 million in IPC Phase 4 and close to a quarter of a million in IPC Phase 5 )  face severe food deficits, elevated hunger, and risk of starvation. Largescale emergency food assistance is needed to address this crisis. Cluster partners are planning to expand operations to target 12 million people per month – an increase of 43 per cent.
24.1 million people in Yemen now require some kind of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need. These figures indicate that the number of people in acute need has risen by a staggering 27 per cent compared to December 2017.
As of late 2018, an estimated 3.3 million people remained displaced in Yemen.33 More than half are living in Amanat Al Asimah, Hajjah, Taizz, Al Hudaydah and Sa'ada governorates34, and about 60 per cent have been displaced since conflict escalated almost four years ago. Protracted displacement decreases resilience and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities, resulting in higher needs and negative coping mechanisms.
This will include 10 million severely food insecure people and 2 million IDPs in acute need who require unconditional inkind food, cash or voucher transfers. In addition, livelihoods assets have nearly collapsed, and negative coping behaviours are becoming more common. This requires support through agricultural, livestock, and fishery supplies, and kickstarting and resuscitating non agricultural livelihoods. Affected households need longer term livelihoods support to increase assets and incomes while community rehabilitation and resilience activities are needed in some areas.
The truce itself has largely held in the port of Hodeidah since coming into force a month ago, but late on Wednesday clashes at flashpoints on the city's edges intensified.
Turkish Red Crescent Head of Yemen Delegation organized an aid delivery in the city of Mehra, which was hit by the hurricane recently and where 3,000 people were affected and they handed over the packages containing several food ingredients to the families.
The large scale conflict in Al Hudaydah triggered displacement. New waves of displacement continued to be generated from the frontline districts of Sa'adah, Al Jawf and Al Bayda, resulting in increased vulnerabilities to the affected population, as coping mechanisms for families continue to erode. A lack of access due to security constraints continues to plague the response.
DUBAI/ADEN: Yemen's warring parties have failed to pull troops from the main port under a month old truce, putting the first major diplomatic breakthrough of the four year war in jeopardy and reviving the threat of an all out assault that could unleash famine.
Sana'a / Addis Ababa –Approximately 350 Ethiopian migrants stranded in Yemen are set to fly home this week under the International Organization for Migration's  ( IOM )  latest Voluntary Humanitarian Return  ( VHR )  flight operation. Such airlifts resumed from Yemen in late November last year.
The war has largely been stalemated for years, with a Saudi led coalition of Arab states and Yemeni allies unable to dislodge the Iran allied Houthi movement that controls the capital and most major population centres.
The village of Maswar in Amran governorate, was one of the areas with the highest reported cholera cases in 2017. However, thanks to the efforts of RRTs who raised awareness of critical health practices among people, the village has witnessed a significant drop in reported cholera cases since the beginning of 2018.
The resignation this week of the U.N. official monitoring the ceasefire, who quit days after his convoy was shot at, has hammered home the potential for the peace deal to collapse. If fighting restarts in earnest around the port of Hodeidah, the main supply route into the country could be cut off, leaving no way to feed millions of people on the verge of starvation.
“IOM will continue to prioritize return movements for migrants in 2019,' he continued. The Organization plans to assist more than 3,000 migrants with VHR services this year.
The World Food Programme is still unable to reach 51,000 tonnes of wheat   enough to feed 3.7 million people for a month   stuck since September in a no man's land in Hodeidah.
Humanitarian airlifts resumed inNovember 2018, after IOM coordinated with Yemeni and Ethiopian authorities to allow more than 400 migrants to safely return over the course of four days.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Yemen's proximity to the Horn of Africa means that it remains a significant transit point for migrants seeking livelihoods and opportunities. IOM expects mixed migration flows to Yemen will continue this year, affirming the importance of IOM's Regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa and Yemen.
Given the current restrictions on movement, transporting migrants out of Yemen is especially challenging. Many of those assisted require additional support, such as medical escorts to provide in flight care.
“Pre existing vulnerabilities have only been further exacerbated by the conflict, now in its fourth year. There are doctors in only 18% of districts across the country and only 50% of health facilities are fully functioning   which is why we are grateful for the timely and critical support from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Government of Italy,' said Altaf Musani, WHO Representative in Yemen.
For more than six months the primary focus for diplomats, policy makers and analysts working on Yemen has been the now frozen offensive on the Red Sea port city of Hodeida. Then, in December, the Yemeni government and Huthi rebels who overthrew the government's leader, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, in January 2015, agreed to a deal, the so called Stockholm Agreement, that prevented a battle for the port and city.
Even if the Stockholm Agreement can be made to stick, fighting is likely to continue in other frontline areas, while tensions also remain high among ostensibly allied pro government Yemeni groups across the south and in Taiz city.
In December, WFP provided food assistance for some 7.9 million people in 19 Yemeni governorates, 84 percent of the monthly target of 10 million people. To respond to the increased levels of food insecurity caused by the ongoing crisis and exacerbated by the economic situation and the increase in food prices, WFP is planning to scale up its assistance to reach 12 million people in January 2019, whereby 10 million severely food insecure people will receive in kind food rations and 2 million will receive commodity vouchers.
Hudaydah carries more than 70 per cent of all humanitarian aid and commercial goods into the war ravaged nation, and future talks towards a listing peace settlement for Yemen, rely on a ceasefire holding, in line with the agreement made in Sweden.
After four years of war and subsequent famine and disease outbreaks, access to quality healthcare is extremely hard to come by for most Yemenis.
Cholera Treatment Kits have also been sent to combat the cholera outbreak that infected over 1.1 million people.
The healthcare system in Yemen has been decimated in recent years, more than half of the population lacks access to even basic health care, and less than 40 percent of hospitals in the country remain functional.
Sana'a, 27 January 2019 – On 26 January, a collective centre for internally displaced people  ( IDP )  was shelled in Haradh District, Hajjah Governorate, killing 8 people and wounding 30 others.
A fire, which the United Arab Emirates  ( UAE )  alleges was caused by a Huthi mortar, damaged two silos at Red Sea Mills, a vital wheat storage, milling and distribution hub for the World Food Programme  ( WFP )  on Hodeida's outskirts, on 24 January. Any disruption at the facility endangers around a quarter of all WFP wheat supplies in Yemen, as well as milling capacity for further food assistance. It comes just as the organisation attempts to double what is already the world's largest food aid program. As many as 14 million people have so little to eat that they are “one step away from starvation', the WFP says; it aims to deliver food to just that number this year.
Bottom Line: As the Huthis, rival Yemeni forces and the coalition continue to jostle for position on the ground, the likelihood increases that the Hodeida ceasefire will collapse, not just due to its non implementation but also to escalations elsewhere. This makes Hodeida implementation crucial, as it could create momentum for a more durable nationwide ceasefire to take hold and peace talks to commence.
Armed clashes and airstrikes were reported in several districts of Sa'ada Governorate including Kitaf wa Al Boq'ele Baqim, Razih, Adh Dhaher and As Safra. In Al Jawf Governorate, armed clashes reportedly continued in Al Maslub, Khabb wa ash Sha'af, Al Maton, Barat Al Anan and Al Ghayl districts. A water project used by about 250 households in Sahar District was damaged along with houses and farms. Casualties were reported but numbers are unknown.
Yemeni children are living in the world's worst humanitarian crisis. I see their suffering every day while working on the ground in Yemen. The only way to end this suffering is to end the conflict. It is therefore a shame if national parliaments keep giving the green light to continued sales of military equipment to the Saudi led coalition.
Nearly four years since the brutal conflict in Yemen escalated, 14 million people are at risk of famine. That number has increased dramatically since the Saudi led coalition imposed a blockade on Yemen in November 2017. We are horrified that as many as 85,000 children may have died because of extreme hunger since the war began. For every child killed by bombs and bullets, dozens are starving to death and it's entirely preventable.
But it's not enough. Independent journalists recently traced the origin of weapons that ended up on Yemen's battlefields and the countries of origin include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the US, and others.
The consultation in Sweden in December between the warring parties is a promising sign. We call on all countries that have influence on the parties to this conflict to increase the pressure on them to bring an end to this war. If they fail to do so, children's lives will continue to be lost on a large scale and history will judge all those involved.
Yemen remains the world's largest humanitarian crisis. The protracted crisis has taken a devastating toll on the economy, collapsing essential services and exhausting the population's coping mechanisms, leading to widespread food insecurity and malnutrition.
Due to all these persistent price increases, hundreds of thousands of families are being forced out of local markets, unable to purchase the basic necessities required to survive. As a result, an increasing number of households who would not otherwise be affected by the conflict are resorting to negative coping mechanisms such as selling assets, reducing food consumption and clean water purchases and taking up debt. These households are increasingly shifting from moderate to acute need of humanitarian assistance.
Evidence indicates that the protection environment is becoming even more dangerous. Year on year estimates of civilian casualties verified by OHCHR increased by 11 per cent between September 2017 and August 2018. More than half of these casualties occurred in people's own homes, at the market or in cars and buses. Grave violations of children's rights continue, with the number of incidents more than doubling in last year in conflict affected areas such as Al Hudaydah, Sa'ada and Shabwah.
Over the last two months, the civilian toll in Hajjah has risen significantly. On 26 January, a collective centre for IDPs was shelled in Haradh District, killing 8 people and wounding 30 others. The collective centre is located near an area where 6 children and 2 women were killed in another incident on 11 January. Hospitals and other public service providers in Haradh, the most affected district, have closed due to fighting.
As a result, to prevent a further erosion of the economy, Yemen will not only require massive humanitarian funding but considerable and predictable non humanitarian financial support, in addition to measures to stabilize the economy by parties to the conflict.
Marib's native born population is roughly 350,000; the IOM estimated in 2018 that 895,000 IDPs had joined them, creating immense challenges for the overall population, the governorate's administration, and NGOs like CSSW.
The results of this assessment showed that 41,240 people affected by the conflict were monitored as likely victims of human rights violations and protection challenges. IDPs represented 21,286 cases and children 11,696 cases.
According to the2019 Humanitarian Response Planlaunched today, 24.1 million people – close to 80 per cent of the population – need assistance and protection. 14.3 million of them are in acute need. Famine is threatening hundreds of thousands of lives and humanitarian aid is increasingly becoming the only lifeline for millions of Yemenis.
Access to income and basic services have been decimated by the complete breakdown of the national economy, leaving millions unable to afford food, medicine, clear water and other essentials.
Two thirds of the country's district are already pre famine. 20 million people are food insecure, including nearly 10 million who are suffering from extreme levels of hunger and are barely surviving.
Yemen has largely exhausted its foreign reserves, which fell below $1 billion in 2016.7 Oil and gas production and exports, which provided up to 60 per cent of fiscal revenue and foreign exchange before the crisis, are currently estimated to run at 10 to 15 per cent of capacity.8 According to the World Bank, the continuous issuing of new banknotes in the absence of adequate monetary policy instruments has contributed to soaring inflation.
More than 600,000 people have been displaced in the last year alone. Nearly 76 per cent of them are women and children. Today there are a total 3.3 million internally displaced people who have nothing to go back to.
Three days ago, one of the main public hospitals in Taizz City was forced to close because of significant damage caused by intensified fighting. At least two civilians have been killed and five injured during fighting and attacks in Taizz City and Al Ashrafia areas in the Al Mudhaffer District.
The Protection Cluster reported a decrease in hostilities in Sana'a Governorate. There was comparative calm in Nihm District until early January, when fighting erupted again. In Al Bayda, there was an increase in hostilities in Radman Al Awad District.
Sporadic skirmishes and airstrikes continued in the western district of Sirwah in Marib Governorate. In Amran Governorate, a civilian was killed and two others injured by airstrikes that hit Al Uqlah bridge in Al Qaflah District. The bridge serves an estimated 6,307 households.
Authorities in Sana'a report that 81,209 families, who fled from different conflict affected governorates are staying in Amanat Al Asimah while 10,101 families are staying in Al Bayda Governorate. On 8 January, IOM delivered 32 MT of medicine, medical supplies and hygiene kits to health facilities in several districts of Dhamar Governorate.
The security situation in Aden and neighboring governorates remains relatively calm with no major incidents reported. On 4 January, in Shabwah Governorate, clashes erupted in the Markha Al Souflah area in Al Hajar District. Casualties were reported but no details are available.
Armed clashes intensified in Taizz Governorate during the first week of January, with shelling reported in Maqbanah and Mawyiah districts. Partners reported the arrival of dozens of families displaced by conflict from Al Dhale'e Governorate to Ar Radmah  ( 150 families ) , Yareem  ( 25 families )  and Al Saddah  ( 15 families )  districts in Ibb Governorate.
The YER appreciated after Saudi Arabia deposited $200m in the Central Bank of Yemen in October 2018 to stabilise the currency. However, as foreign currency reserves dwindle the rial has slightly depreciated again, exchanging at an average of YER520/US$. The intervention was intended to lower the high cost of basic commodities including food, diesel and petrol but prices have remained relatively high.
In the last four years, the Yemeni economy contracted by nearly 50 per cent, with about 600,000 jobs lost. The conflict also is taking a heavy toll on local businesses. Preliminary findings of a World Bank survey in October 2018, show that about 35 per cent of businesses across the country have closed, and over half of the surviving firms have experienced shrinkage in size and a scaling down of operations. About 73 per cent of firms that closed cited security and financial constraints as the main reason for closure.
WFP estimates that as of the second week of December 2018, there were 908,000 MT of food stocks in country. Available wheat stocks would cover the national requirements for nearly three months, while rice would last for one and a half months. Fuel commodities  ( petrol and diesel )  remain scarce. Al Hudaydah was most affected by commodity scarcity as a result of recent fighting.
According to WHO, 225 districts reported suspected cholera cases in the first three weeks of December, but the overall trend remained stable. Children continue to make up 32 per cent of the total number of suspected cases. The highest number of suspected cases were reported in Monabbih District in Sa'ada Governorate, Maghirib Ans District in Dhamar Govenorate and As Sabain districts in Amanat Al Asimah Governorate and Bani Al Harith District in Sana'a Governorate.
From 1 January to 23 December 2018, the cumulative number of suspected cholera cases recorded across the country reached 359,425 with 488 associated deaths. Cholera was reported in 22 of Yemen's 23 governorates, and 306 out of the country's 333 districts.
Commercial food imports in December 2018 were the lowest ever since the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism  ( UNVIM )  started in July 2016. UNVIM facilitates the unimpeded flow of commercial items on vessels sailing to Yemen ports. The decrease in food imports led to a 2 per cent drop in the average monthly percentage of food requirements met. Fuel imports reached their highest levels since August 2017.
Protracted displacement decreases resilience and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities, resulting in higher needs and negative coping mechanisms. Amid a severe economic decline and long term displacement, IDPs and their hosts are rapidly exhausting reserves to meet their needs. Food security assessments have confirmed that IDP households are facing the most extreme hunger levels resulting in adoption of negative coping strategies leading to protection risks.
More than one million people have returned from displacement to their places of origin, predominantly to Aden Amanat Al Asimah, Taizz and Lahj. Returnees are facing difficulties in resuming a normal life due to the widespread destruction to their assets and property.
Returnees are no better off with at least 10 % with no shelter or settled in makeshift shelters while 6% reside in IDP hosting sites due to multiple factors including damage to their homes, security and safety and limited access to basic services and livelihood opportunities.
In IDP Hosting Sites some 465,000 IDPs live in close to 1,300 Sites, often as a last resort, and are considered among the most vulnerable populations with no means to support more adequate shelter solutions
Poverty and the lack of health workers salaries have prevented the majority of the population from accessing health facilities to seek health services, so the role of health workers in providing outreach activities had to be enhanced. 116 health workers carried out 2,637 outreach sessions during from July to December 2018. They provided health services to 33,347 beneficiaries, including 9557 women, 12365 boys and 11425 girls in all districts of Al Bayda governorate.
The Save the Children team immediately intervened at Al Raee school, and helped transfer wounded girls from governmental hospitals to private ones that can provide better care than the public system worn out by four years of conflict. Five girls aged 12 to 16, were transferred yesterday after the incident. Sadly, one died in the evening.
Yemen is the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Nearly 80 per cent of the total population, 24.1 million people, requires some form of humanitarian assistance and protection. Ten million people are a step away from famine and starvation and 7 million people are malnourished.
According to publicly available data, since the outbreak of the Yemeni conflict in March 2015, Western states have supplied the UAE with at least US$3.5 billion worth of arms. Among them are heavy conventional weapons – including aircraft and ships – small arms, light weapons and associated parts and ammunition.
Nevertheless, the persistence of conflict over the past three years, coupled with the uncertain security situation following the recent ceasefire agreement, remain sources of concern for the resolution of conflict in Yemen.Following international calls for a resolution of conflict and for peace talks beginning in November, conflict further increased in and around Al Hudaydah City. According toSave The Children, almost 100 airstrikes during November 2 3 were reported in and around Al Hudaydah City, which is five times more than during the whole first week of October. The Civilian Impact Monitoring Project  ( CIMP ) , also reported heavy clashes on the outskirts of Al Hudaydah City, with heavy airstrikes and shelling impacting civilians in districts around the city. Moreover, following the implementation of the ceasefire in mid December, some clashes haveoccurredin Al Hudaydah, highlighting that the security situation remains uncertain.
The potential for conflict to disrupt maritime imports through nearby Al Hudaydah and Salif ports remains a significant concern.Approximately 70 percent of monthly food imports and 40–50 percent of monthly fuel imports into Yemen typically enter through Al Hudaydah and Salif. Should conflict either result in significant damage or disruption to port facilities and operations or cut off trade access from the port to markets, Yemen would likely face significant difficulty meeting its basic staple food import needs.
As of mid December, the Red Sea ports remain open as commercial and humanitarian imports continue, according to UNVIM reports. However, the main route connecting Al Hudaydah with Sana'a City and Taiz remains closed. The only road access to Al Hudaydah City to Sana'a City is from the north on the Al Hudaydah Hajjah road. Humanitarian warehouses at the eastern entrance to Al Hudaydah City were also affected by the intensified conflict and were inaccessible. Although decreases in conflict would be expected to improve road and trade access, additional time is needed to verify whether sustained improvements in trade are being observed.
Preliminary data collected December 1 17, 2018 suggest the YER/USD exchange reached approximately 515 YER/USD in Sana'a City. Still, this represents a lower value of the YER than in January 2018, when the exchange rate was approximately 470 YER/USD, and prior to the start of conflict in 2015, when the exchange rate was fixed at 250 YER/USD. At present, given limited government revenues and foreign reserves, the Central Bank of Yemen is still not paying most government salaries or providing lines of credit and favorable exchange rates for private food and fuel importers.
The resilience of Yemeni teachers and school children in the face of the obstacles to education is incredible. Across the country, classrooms have been set up in in the ruins of buildings. Most teachers have not been paid for two years, many children have been traumatised by war, but the hunger to learn is immense.
According toUNVIMdata, average monthly food imports through Al Hudaydah and Salif ports are approximately 16 percent lower in 2018 than in 2017.UNVIM estimates the average imports of food commodities per month between January and November 2018 were approximately 267,075 MT, compared to a January to December 2017 monthly average of 317,866 MT. Due to the nature of the data available, it is difficult to compare these totals with import requirements for any particular commodity or staple cereal, such as wheat. According toOCHA, approximately 233,700 MT of food commodities were imported in November 2018, a 15 percent increase compared to October 2018.
As we continue the rehabilitation of Al Hasha water well, the contractor has installed a solar pumping unit with all accessories to enable beneficiaries get water out of the well. Approximately 1,784 individuals of IDPs and affected host community  ( 824 women, 796 men, 164 children )  are benefiting from this project.
On 1 February, ten civilians were reportedly injured in two separate airstrikes that struck vehicles in Mustaba and Bakil Al Mir districts. Between 24 30 January, the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project documented 42 civilian casualties; 35 casualties – of whom 8 killed and 27 injured – caused by the shelling of a camp for internally displaced people  ( IDPs )  in Bani Al Haddad, Haradh District. The other 7 resulted from airstrikes, marking the highest weekly civilian casualty rate in Hajjah since November 2018.
The attack, involving a sophisticated drone not previously used by the Houthis, occurred outside the UN administered ceasefire zone in Lahj province in the south of the country on Thursday. The Houthis said the drone strike was a reprisal for actions by the Saudi Arabian backed government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The UN is facing pressure to suspend peace talks inYemenafter a Houthi drone targeted the Yemeni government military high command, killing up to six people attending a military parade.
Yemen's government claims the Houthis have committed more than 400 breaches of the ceasefire. With Houthis making similar accusations against coalition forces, the absence of credible UN monitors makes the situation difficult to assess.
The Saudi owned Al Arabiya news channel reported that six soldiers of the Yemeni army were killed and 20 others injured, among them journalists and the governor of Lahj.
Thursday's attack on a military parade at the al Anad military base wounded at least 20 military personnel, the official said, including Mohammad Saleh Tamah, the head of Yemen's Intelligence Service, Mohammad Jawas, a senior military commander and Ahmed al Turki, the governor of Lahij province.
Since 2017, the rebels have launched several ballistic and drone attacks on neighbouring Saudi Arabia and forces in the country loyal to the Yemeni government.
In Al Thawra hospital in Hodeida, a city under siege, midwives are often obliged to expand their role in the absence of doctors. It was a stark reminder to me, of how war pushes medical structures and personnel to their limits. With almost half of health facilities in Yemen destroyed or disabled because of the conflict, one third of them providing reproductive health services, and with the departure of large numbers of doctors and nurses from the country, to be able to keep a hospital like Al Thawra functioning is key to the survival of 750,000 women of reproductive age in Hodeida. UNFPA estimates that there are six million women of reproductive age in Yemen today.
According to the latest IPC analysis about 15.9 million people  ( 53 per cent )  of the population are analysed to be severely food insecure and thus are at higher risk of malnutrition. The current levels of food insecurity lead to negative coping strategies among families such as sending children to beg or selling household assets.
Current mine clearance efforts in the area are managed by the military and are focused on roads and strategic infrastructure, paying little heed to civilian areas such as agricultural fields. Civilians are the principal victims of the mines and explosive devices in the area, as many are killed or maimed for life.
By creating generations of maimed people, mines have far reaching repercussions not only for individual families, but for society as a whole, as their victims are likely to be more dependent on others and more socially isolated.
In 2018, the Country Task Force verified 1,321 incidents of grave violations against children. The majority of the incidents took place in Al Hudaydah governorate followed by Taizz and Hajjah.
Thousands of explosive devices will endanger the lives of people in Yemen for decades to come. The UK based organization Conflict Armament Research pointed in arecent reportto Ansar Allah's mass production of mines and improvised explosive devices, as well as its use of anti personnel, vehicle, and naval mines. According to the Yemen Executive Mine Action Center, the Yemeni army cleared 300,000 mines between 2016 and 2018.
The area has become largely devoid of medical care because of the war, with the next closest medical facilities in Aden, six to eight hours' drive away. Many local people cannot afford transportation to Aden or the costs of treatment there.
Even before the conflict, Yemen faced one of thehighest maternal death ratesin the Arab region. Today, poverty, hunger and illness – including a deadly cholera outbreak – have greatly increased the risks to women and girls.
JARDAN, Yemen –Over a million pregnant women and new mothers require urgent aid in Yemen, the site of the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Dimnat Khadir district is no longer the area with economic prosperity. It is however the place where a large number of Internally Displaced Persons  ( IDPs )  and affected host communities are gathered. Unfortunately, it has been deteriorating and hosting too many conflict affected households from neighboring areas since the war began. Most of its population – if not all – are requiring urgent humanitarian assistance before reaching to what it is called famine.
Starvation threatens if we don't act immediately. Apart from the deadly clashes and armed conflicts happening around Yemen, almost two thirds of the population are painfully experiencing a war of starvation. Food insecurity may cause the worst humanitarian disaster in living memory. Yemenis would jeopardize themselves to do anything just for a piece of bread.
The surrounding fields have been mined to prevent the advance of military troops, making them impossible to cultivate and depriving the local population of their livelihood.
The conflict continues to take a devastating toll on children's education in Yemen, as highlighted in the report published earlier in 2018 ‘If not in School'. As the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, around 2 million children remain out of school, including 1.6 million who were out of school before the onset of the conflict.
Before the war, the area between Mocha and the frontline was agricultural. Since the fighting started, towns and villages near the combat zones – such as Hays and Mafraq Al Mocha, where MSF provides support to advanced medical posts – have seen many of their inhabitants flee.
A 45 minute drive from Mocha, Mawza district has seen its population halve. “People who live here are punished – not once, but twice. The mines not only blow up their children but also prevent them from cultivating their fields. They lose their source of income as well as food for their families,' says Claire Ha Duong, MSF head of mission in Yemen.
Since 27 April 2017, a total of 12 937 stool specimens were tested. Out of these, 4 319 were laboratory confirmed for Vibrio cholerae.
The 5 governorates with the highest cumulative attack rate per 10 000 are Amran  ( 1 258.21 ) , Al Mahwit  ( 1087.47 ) , Sana'a  ( 781.53 ) , Dahamar  ( 704 )  and Al Dhale'e  ( 652.50 ) . The national attack rate is 493.95 per 10 000. The Governorate with high numbers of deaths are Hajjah  ( 472 ) , Ibb  ( 371 ) , Al Hudaydah  ( 343 )  and Taizz  ( 221 ) .