nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
Economic prospects in 2018 and beyond will critically depend on rapid improvements of the political and security situation, and ultimately whether an end to the ongoing conflict will allow for rebuilding the economy and social fabric. If violence can be contained by late 2018, GDP is projected to begin to recover in 2019, with double digit GDP growth. Inflation is like ly to decline in such a case as supplies will increase. Less conflict might also help to stabilize further the exchange rate and bring back more options for monetary policy. Restoration of more peaceful conditions will allow for resumption of hydrocarbon production, which in turn will help restore government revenues and the balance of payments.
According to WHO, since April 2017, there have been more than 1.2 million cases of suspected or confirmed cholera in Yemen, including over 154,500 cases in 2018 alone. More than 2,500 people are reported to have died from the preventable disease. Around 30 per cent of cases involve children under the age of five and all but one of the country's 23 governorates have been affected.
According to the WHO's epidemiological bulletin on cholera in Yemen for week 36  ( Sept 3 9 ) , the cumulative suspected cholera cases from 1 January to 9 September this year, is 154,527 with 197 associated deaths. The cumulative suspected cholera cases from 27 April 2017 to 9 September 2018 is, 1,176,963 with 2,435 associated deaths.
Heavy ground clashes continue in districts south and east of Hodeidah city while shelling and airstrikes continue across large parts of Sa'ada, Hajjah, Ibb and Taizz governorates.
WASH partners continued to scale up the response reaching over 10.6 million individuals through some form of assistance. Operational support to water systems, including through rapid response teams for emergency repairs, reached an estimated 5.2 million people. WASH Emergency response activities have been scaled up to prevent the further spread of cholera in cholera priority areas and to respond to the new displacement crisis following the escalation of hostilities in Al Hudaydah. Some 7.4 million individuals have been reached through the provision of one or a combination of emergency water supply, emergency sanitation and basic hygiene items and hygiene awareness activities.
Despite gaps in funding and serious operational constraints to protection, as of August 2018, Protection Cluster partners have reached around 2.4 million people with life saving protection services such as psychosocial support, legal assistance and protection, as well as clinical care for survivors and safe spaces for women, men, girls and boys. Over 400,000 persons have been reached through monitoring of protection and IHL/IHRL, while over 1.1 million children and community members have received information to protect them against mines and UXOs. Community based responses continue to be strengthened through community based protection network volunteers, community protection initiatives as well as community centers serving the needs of IDPs and conflict affected populations.
To date, approximately 176,400 children with Severe Acute Malnutrition  ( SAM ) , over 247,800 children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition  ( MAM )  and 188,950 Pregnant and lactating women  ( PLW )  with acute malnutrition, have been admitted for treatment. In addition, 388,110 children have received micronutrient powders, while over 982,000 women have received Infant and Young Child Feeding  ( IYCF )  counselling. Some 205,700 children aged 6 23 months and around 248,600 pregnant and lactating women, were reached through Blanket Supplementary Feeding programmes.
An estimated 7.5 million people need nutrition assistance, of whom 2.9 million people will require treatment for acute malnutrition in 2018. This includes 1.8 million children under the age of five and 1.1 million pregnant and lactating women  ( PLW ) . Some 2.3 million PLW and caretakers of children aged 0 23 months will require infant and young child feeding counselling. Main challenges faced by nutrition partners include bureaucratic and administrative impediments, non payment of salaries to health workers, access constraints and a limited number of community health workers in the country
The Logistics Cluster supports an efficient logistics response through coordination and information management. The Logistics Cluster also facilitates access to common services for humanitarian organisations, which include: cargo transport from Djibouti to Sana'a by air, and to Aden and Al Hudaydah by sea; overland cargo transport and cargo storage across Yemen; fuel distribution in Sana'a, Al Hudaydah and Aden; and sea passenger transport from Djibouti to Aden and Al Hudaydah. In addition, UNHAS connects Amman to Sana'a, and Djibouti to both Sana'a and Aden.
As of August 2018, all of UNHCR's persons of concern in Northern Yemen hold expired documentation as registration and refugee status determination have been suspended by the de facto authorities since August 2016. Thus, in the North newly arrived individuals unable to register and lodge an asylum claim, which makes them at increased risk of arrest and detention, as well as refoulement.
In August 2018, 5,000 food baskets were distributed to refugees and the host community in Basateen settlement, targeting vulnerable persons, and sponsored by the Emirati Red Crescent. 423 households received cash grants to cover their basic needs, while 251 individuals benefitted from safe and dignified transportation to return to Somalia under the UNHCR Assisted Spontaneous Return programme with the logistical support of IOM.
Commenting on the aid, Muqbel said, "The ERC   as we have said   was the fastest response to the relief of the affected and the support of the vulnerable. Today, we receive the first convoy of relief aid and food supplements for children arrived from Aden to Al Azariq as a first stage to save its people He added that the ERC sent a medical team to assess the local health sector, provide residents with the necessary healthcare requirements, and implement initiatives that will immediately improve their situation.
Further depreciation of the Yemeni riyal  ( YER )  and resultant decreases in purchasing power may lead to an additional 3.5 million people experiencing acute food insecurity, according to the UN. This would increase the number of people suffering from acute food insecurity to more than 21 million people countrywide.
As of September 24, heavy fighting had rendered the Al Hudaydah–Sana'a road inaccessible to relief actors, according to the UN; however, the northern route from Al Hudaydah city through Hajjah Governorate to Sana'a remains open for humanitarian movements. More than 60 international and national UN staff and more than 560 non governmental organization  ( NGO )  staff were working in Al Hudaydah city as of September 18, the UN reports
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordination  ( RC/HC )  for Yemen Lise Grande warned that damage to Al Hudaydah's Red Sea Mills facilities which currently store 51,000 MT of food commodities, sufficient to feed 3.5 million people for one month could further deteriorate food security in Yemen. Heightened insecurity could also impact operations at Yemen's Red Sea ports of Al Hudaydah and Al Saleef, through which approximately 70 percent of humanitarian assistance for Yemen is imported. RC/HC Grande called on all parties to the conflict to respect civilians and civilian infrastructure in a September 13 statement
The continuing devaluation of the YER could render an additional 3.5 million people food insecure, according to the UN. The declining value of the YER has also effectively increased market prices of basic food commodities, negatively affecting food security. Basic food commodity prices increased up to 10 percent in local markets between August and early September, with the average cost of a minimum food basket nearly doubling since February 2015, the UN reports.
From September 1–18, relief actors admitted more than 37,000 children ages five years and younger experiencing severe acute malnutrition to nutrition management programs in Al Hudaydah, the UN reports. In addition, relief actors provided community infant and young child feeding counselling and education to more than 84,000 pregnant and lactating women and provided micronutrient supplements to more than 42,000 children, according to the Nutrition Cluster.
Health actors recorded nearly 79,500 suspected cholera cases and 166 associated deaths across Yemen between July 15 and September 22, according to the UN World Health Organization  ( WHO ) . Health actors report that the epidemic has affected 306 Yemeni districts, with conflict affected and densely populated areas of Al Hudaydah and Sana'a cities facing the highest risk of transmission due to limited access to safe drinking water and poor water, sanitation, and hygiene  ( WASH )  infrastructure, the UN reports.
Community volunteers supported by a USAID partner conducted hygiene awareness sessions on proper handwashing, safe waste disposal, water borne disease prevention, and water treatment for nearly 28,600 individuals in Hadramawt, Lahij, and Ta'izz governorates in August. The partner also provided nearly 3 million liters of safe drinking water to more than 31,500 people in Ta'izz during the month.
On October 24, 2017, U.S. Ambassador Matthew H. Tueller re issued a disaster declaration for the ongoing complex emergency in Yemen for FY 2018 due to continued humanitarian needs resulting from the complex emergency and the impact of the country's political and economic crises on vulnerable populations.
Many of the people left in Hodeidah city don't have anywhere to go. They don't have enough money to live, let alone leave. The cost of food, water and transport are now completely unpredictable; if you can afford bread on Monday, there's no guarantee you will be able to on Tuesday.
The overall context of the fighting in Al Hudaydah Governorate remains largely unchanged. While no significant ground advances were made by either side last week, field reports indicate that Government of Yemen  ( GoY )  forces may have extended control north of the main road near Kilo 16, thus consolidating their control of a portion of the road between Al Hudaydah City and Sana'a. Armed clashes continue in the Kilo 10 and Kilo 16 areas and around the airport. Sporadic armed clashes are also reported on the Hays and At Tuhayat frontlines. Intensive airstrikes, artillery exchange and shelling were reported along the frontline and in several locations within Al Hudaydah City and civilian casualties have been reported.
Field reports indicate that the conflict has not affected the movement of civilians within the city where public services such as water pumping stations, hospitals, bakeries and banks are reportedly functioning. Although banks are working, only small amounts of cash can be withdrawn. Hospitals are operational, however, safety at the 22nd of May Hospital, one of the biggest hospital in the country, is of concern as the facility is only a kilometre away from an active frontline.
Food security and agricultural partners have facilitated the relocation of 3,000 heads of cattle from active frontlines near Kilo 16 to safer areas to prevent the loss of livelihoods which would have damaged the dairy industry and the supply of dairy products across the governorate.
Authorities in Sana'a report that there are 24,918 HHs originating from Al Hudaydah Governorate that are currently staying in Sana'a City. Thirty four HHs  ( approx. 240 people )  are currently hosted in public schools in the capital.
As of 24 September, 78,400 households  ( HHs )  have been displaced by the conflict in Al Hudaydah Governorate since June, both within the governorate as well as in areas covered by humanitarian partners based in Sana'a, Ibb and Sa'ada. Some 85,300 displaced HHs in these four hubs have received assistance through the rapid response mechanism  ( RRM ) . Overall, 16,550 HHs have been assisted with cash to meet their basic needs while a total of 27,500 HHs have been provided with NFIs and emergency shelter kits.
In August, WFP and its partners provided one off general food assistance  ( GFA )  to approx. 50,000 IDP beneficiaries  ( 8,327 HHs )  across the country who had been provided with RRM kits. In Al Hudaydah, 78,828 IDPs were provided with commodity vouchers through the CV TN programme. In addition, WFP and its partners continued to provide food assistance to beneficiaries in Al Hudaydah Governorate through the regular GFA programme.
In their initial report published in August 2018, the experts found evidence that members of the Saudi led coalition, the Yemeni government, and the Houthi armed group have been committing abuses, including indiscriminate anddisproportionate attacks on civilians, arbitrary and abusive detention, and recruitment of children. The experts flagged several areas for further investigation, including unlawful restrictions on humanitarian aid to civilians in Taizz, Yemen's third largest city. They recommended the Human Rights Council renew their mandate, so investigations of the warring parties could continue. Saudi Arabia and other coalition members have pressed the council, at the current session, to discontinue the group's mandate.
The figures of the crisis are staggering and near impossible to grasp: 22.2 million in need of assistance, 8.4 million people severely food insecure, and a further 10 million that could fall under the same category by the end of the year, if action is not urgently taken.“It is bleak', UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcocktoldthe Security Council on Friday. “We are losing the fight against famine'.
In addition, more than 1.1 million cases of acute watery diarrhoea or cholera have been reported since April 2017. Conflict in Yemen – already one of the poorest countries in the world before the crisis – escalated in March 2015, when an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened militarily at the request of the Yemeni President. Airstrikes have become a daily occurrence for millions of civilians.
Since 1 June alone, according to the UNOffice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA ) , half a million people have been forced to flee their homes in Hudaydah, an opposition held governorate in western Yemen, bringing the total of internally displaced persons in the country to 2 million.
Hundreds of thousands of families no longer have a regular source of income – including teachers, health workers, water and sanitation workers and other public servants. They have not been paid a regular salary in two years.
UNHCR is dismayed by the recent escalation of hostilities in Al Hudaydah Governorate. UNHCR is following with concern the unfolding of events and the resulting surge in humanitarian and protection needs. While UNHCR continues to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and for all parties to adhere to their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, the UNHCR led Protection Cluster's Civilian Impact Monitoring Project reported two incidents in September, targeting a fishing community and which resulted in 22 civilian casualties.
The impact of the Yemeni Riyal's rapid devaluation sparks civil unrest and compounds coping abilities of persons of concern. In a country where most food is imported, the population is losing its ability to purchase basic food items due to the steep devaluation of the currency. UNHCR's multi purpose cash distributions enable persons of concern to meet their families' most basic needs during this time of crisis. Without adequate financial support, internally displaced persons  ( IDPs )  and refugees alike are exposed to increased protection risks  ( such as exploitation ) , and resort to negative coping mechanisms  ( such as begging, child labour and early marriage ) .
As part of the Al Hudaydah response, since June, UNHCR and its partners conducted protection monitoring assessments of over 57,000 households. The assessments have allowed UNHCR and partners to determine displaced persons' emergency shelter and protection needs. The Agency also continues to distribute CRIs and emergency shelter kits  ( ESKs )  to families in areas of displacement and is offering protection services, such as legal assistance and psychosocial counselling in eight IDP community centres countrywide. Since June, UNHCR has reached 100,000 IDPs through the Al Hudaydah response.
Responding to the growing needs, UNHCR distributed much needed cash assistance to some 22,000 families  ( 140,000 individuals )  in August alone. The value of the cash assistance disbursed totalled over two billion Yemeni Riyals  ( some four million US Dollars ) . Given their pressing shelter needs, some 73 percent of the cash assistance was disbursed for use by IDPs as rental subsidies. In September, UNHCR also started cash distribution activities for CRIs, targeting nearly 1,800 displaced families in Aden and Lahj Governorates. Some 600 families already received the ‘Cash for CRIs' and another 927 families in Aden, Lahj and Al Hudaydah Governorates have been referred to UNHCR for similar assistance.
UNHCR through its partner Yemen Al Khair for Relief and Development commenced the implementation of two Quick Impact Projects in Al Jawf Governorate, north of Yemen. The projects will train women, both displaced and from the host community who are supporting displaced families, on sewing and on making handmade accessories and ornaments. The courses, expected to last for a month, aim to strengthen ties between the displaced and host communities, and to increase women's skills and provide a means for generating income. Once completed, the project participants will receive basic tools and materials to help them start a micro business.
The current complexities in Yemen are compounded by the depreciation of the Yemeni Riyal. In August 2018, exchange companies in Sana'a city bought 1 USD at a rate of 560 YER, which marks the lowest recorded rate. Consequently, commercial goods are rising, thus, exacerbating the needs and living conditions of those already affected by the war.
With the main Al Hudaydah Sana'a road cut off by fighting, the only road out of Al Hudaydah to Sana'a that remains open is the road to Hajjah, to the north of the city. This road is used by humanitarian organisations for the movement of humanitarian staff and cargo.
In the high risk areas of Al Hudaydah & IBB governorates, nearly 400,000 people were vaccinated in early August. Supported by UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank and The Vaccine Alliance  ( Gavi ) , the vaccination campaign achieved 68 per cent coverage. WHO suggests that more targeting activities need to be done. This includes augmenting water and sanitation activities, communications about risk, ensuring that the second vaccination dose is administered in time and adding more priority districts that need the first dose.
WFP appeals to all parties to protect civilians, respect humanitarian principles and allow for the safe delivery of food to Yemeni families in need, no matter where they are, and particularly in active conflict zones.
Import data from the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism  ( UNVIM )  indicates that about 235,025 MT of food commodities were imported through the Red Sea ports in July, an 18 percent decrease compared to June 2018. Moreover, OCHA also showed that the average number of vessel berths since November 2017 declined by 43 percent compared to the pre blockade average. UNVIM weekly monitoring suggests, however, that food imports through Red Sea ports in August have increased significantly since July.
The amount of fuel imported through the Red Sea ports as reported by UNVIM decreased 20 percent between June and July. While fuel imports in July were still higher than the monthly average since the blockade late last year, they were only about two thirds of what was imported in October 2017 prior to the blockade.
The availability of basic food commodities continues to be affected by the ongoing conflict in Al Hudaydah governorate. Moreover, the ongoing fighting in Al Hudaydah and surrounding districts has resulted in the closure of many shops. WFP reports that basic food commodities were available in all of the governorates of Yemen in July with the exception of Al Hudaydah, where wheat, vegetable oil, red beans and sugar were scarcely available  ( meaning, at least half of the visits, these commodities were recorded as rare in the market ) . WFP also reports that markets in Al Durayhimi and Al Tuhayta districts of Al Hudaydah governorate have been closed.
The WFP Market Watch Report for June and July 2018 reported that as of first week of August 2018, in country stocks of food commodities were estimated at around 1.1 million MT, of which wheat  ( grain and flour )  stocks were approximately estimated at 587,000 MT and are expected to cover the national requirements for about 70 days, and rice stocks were estimated at 71,150 MT which would cover the national requirements for two months. Available sugar stocks were estimated to be sufficient for about 4 months whereas vegetable oil stocks were estimated to be sufficient for only 10 days.
Diesel and petrol were scarcely available in July in all governorates, according to WFP, except in Al Jawf, Al Mahrah and Marib governorates where they were available, and Abyan and Lahj where they were widely available. Cooking gas was scarcely available in July in 13 out of 22 governorates including Al Hudaydah. The total amount of the fuel commodities that is available in the country is approximately 285,000 MT, which represents about 53% of the national monthly requirement needs  ( estimated at 533,000 MT ) .
Fuel prices on most markets showed slight increases or were stable between May and July 2018, remaining well above pre crisis levels. The most significant price increases in July for diesel were in Raymah, Al Hudaydah, Al Dali, Al Mahrah, and Hajjah Governorates. Field price data collection in early August shows that fuel prices in Al Hudaydah and Sana'a cities are continuing to increase. Increased fuel prices are negatively affecting typical livelihood activities, such as agriculture, and contributing to increased prices of food and non food commodities through higher transaction costs. High prices and limited availability have also constricted water access constraints as many areas rely on pumping water for human use.
According to OCHA, between January and May 2018, a monthly average of 7.16 million people were provided with emergency food assistance through in kind distributions, cash transfers and vouchers. Moreover, about 871,000 beneficiaries got livelihoods assistance including agricultural, livestock and fisheries inputs. Assistance resumed in Aden, after being suspended since January 2018, and WFP provided food assistance to about 82,000 individuals in June. Since May, the number of beneficiaries reached has increased. WFP reported that approximately 7.6 million people in June were provided with general food assistance through in kind food and commodity vouchers. This represents the largest number of beneficiaries humanitarian partners have been able to reach to date.
Humanitarian partners also continue to conduct surveys in their areas of intervention. Rapid assessments conducted in May by the Relief and Development Peer Foundation indicated that 36 percent  ( from IDP, host community, and returnee households )  assessed in Al Shemayteen district of Tai'iz Governorate were relying on friends and relatives to cope and 25 percent were relying on assistance from humanitarian/charity organizations. A rapid assessment by Steps Foundation for Civil Development  ( STEPS )  in April in three districts of Shabwah  ( Bihan, Mayfa'a, Ataq and Al Rudum )  concluded that most IDPs live in a dire situation and depend on support from host communities and others.
Human Rights Watch spoke by phone to 14 witnesses, including 9 children, who said that shortly before 8:30 a.m. on August 9, an aerial bomb hit the market in Dhahyan, a town 20 kilometers north of Saada in Houthi controlled northwestern Yemen, 60 kilometers from the Saudi border. The bomb landed within a few meters ofa bus filled with boyson an excursion organized by a local mosque to visit the graves of men who had been killed in fighting. The bus was parked outside a grocery store where the driver had gone to buy water for the children.
The Houthi run Education Ministrypublished a list of the names, ages, and other identifying information of the children and teachers killed, and of 51 people wounded in the strike  ( not counting repeated names ) , including 49 children. According to the Houthi Health Ministry, in total, 51 people were killed and 79 wounded.
The Danish Refugee Council has conducted a baseline assessment of IDP hosting sites in Lahj Governorate and found that in four sites supported by partners, access to water is restricted, shelters are in disrepair and employment opportunities are limited. The DRC recommends shifting from emergency to transitional shelters, establishing site management structures, addressing WASH deficiencies and improving the referral mechanism for critical health and protection cases.
Local authorities have started paying salaries for June and July to public employees from six districts, namely Al Hali, Al Hawak, Al Mina, Hays, Al Khawkhah and Ad Durayhimi. Teachers and employees of the education ministry are the first to be paid, but the authorities have committed to pay the other local employees. More than a million employees in Yemen have not received regular salaries for over two years.
The only public health facility in Ad Durayhimi town is no longer functioning and medical staff have fled, leaving injured people without access to proper medical care. Fighting has also disrupted markets and the movement of traders, prompting some markets in Ad Durayhimi and At Tuhayat districts to close. Partners have identified more than 51,000 displaced households from Al Hudaydah Governorate, of which more than 44,700 households have received rapid response assistance.
These shipments contain critical life saving anti cancer drugs to cover almost 50% of pressing needs of cancer patients for one year. The shipments also include 100 nutrition kits sufficient to meet the needs of more than 5000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications for three months, in addition to various types of rapid diagnostic tests and laboratory reagents to cover the urgent needs and strengthen the capacity of central laboratories and blood banks. Medicines to treat non communicable diseases  ( NCDs ) , surgical instruments, interagency emergency health kits, intravenous  ( IV )  fluids and various types of medications needed by health facilities across the country were also among the medical supplies. Likewise, 50 000 rapid diagnostic tests to effectively diagnose cholera, and 21 trauma kits for mass casualty management were delivered to Aden from Djibouti port.
The Yemeni riyal was exchanging at 630 to the US dollar in Yemen's southern city of Aden yesterday, up from 425 in January, and less than 250 at the beginning of the conflict. The depreciation of Yemen's currency corresponds with dramatic price hikes on basic commodities, leaving millions of people unable buy enough food to meet their daily needs.
“This economic collapse has the potential to kill even more Yemenis than the violence underlying it,' said Mohamed Abdi, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Yemen. “It is devastating to see an already exhausted Yemeni population continue to be hit with every conceivable obstacle to survival.'
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is ramping up its response to meet the most urgent protection needs of thousands of families displaced by the fighting in Al Hudaydah, the strategic port city through which 80 percent of all food and aid arrives into Yemen. The offensive to capture the city began in June and has resulted in the displacement of over 50,800 families according to OCHA. UNHCR is calling on all parties to ensure the physical safety of civilians and their freedom of movement and to guarantee safe routes for civilians to leave conflict areas.
During focus group discussions with displaced persons from Al Hudaydah conducted in June and July, UNHCR identified a series of protection needs requiring urgent attention. Most prominent among them are the specific needs of children who may be separated from their families, and women, who may be at high risk of sexual harassment and violence either during flight or when living in overcrowded settings. Another common concern is the loss of livelihoods, exacerbated by a decline in purchasing power due to increasing food prices and the decline in value of the Yemeni currency, the riyal.
Vulnerable cases have been referred to UNHCR's Community Centres in Al Hudaydah, Ibb and Sana'a, where UNHCR and partners provide many services, including psychosocial counselling and support, and legal assistance, including help to obtain national IDs which are crucial for accessing services.
The European Union has provided €10 million for UNESCO's initiative, Cash for Work: Promoting Livelihood Opportunities for Urban Youth in Yemen. The initiative aims to create jobs in heritage restoration and preservation for young Yemenis, while promoting social cohesion and resilience through cultural programming.
Fighting escalated in Ad Durayhimi District, south of Al Hudaydah City with a significant impact on civilians, including a high casualty rate. Ambulance services are unable to reach the impacted population due to heavy shelling and airstrikes. Scores of families are reportedly trapped by the fighting inside Ad Durayhimi Town, but some have managed to flee to Al Hudaydah City and neighbouring districts.
Districts with high access severity levels generally fall in the frontline conflict affected governorates of Al Hudaydah, Sa'ada, Hajjah and Al Jawf. More than 1.1 million people in need of humanitarian aid live in these governorates. Participants identified access constraints in 94 per cent of districts in Yemen. The most prevalent constraints for all humanitarian actors were related to administrative restrictions, particularly those related to sub agreements or denials of movement requests. Interference in the implementation of humanitarian activities was also among the most reported issues.
The price of petrol in the Sana'a region has also increased in recent days, with some stations unable to continue business and closing down. On 7 August, petrol stations in Sana'a City were selling at a price of YER 395 per liter, which signifies a nine per cent increase compared to previous weeks. In other governorates, the price ranged from YER 6,600 to YER 10,000 per 20 litre jerrycan, in both commercial stations and the black market.
The Protection Cluster reports that a total of 490 children  ( 80 per cent boys )  have been killed or maimed in conflict since 2015. An increased number of victims was registered during the onset of the conflict in 2015, the escalation in 2017 and in 2018. The recent escalation in hostilities in Al Hudaydah Governorate and new frontlines is likely to increase the numbers of causalities. Mine risk education and prevention activities by partners and Yemen Mine Action Committee reached 52 per cent of targets in 2017, despite access and security constraints.
According to the Early Recovery Cluster, mine action partners released around 4.6 M sq.mts of land in Yemen and removed 145,412 explosive remnants of war  ( ERWs )  in 38 districts across 15 governorates from January to April 2018, directly benefitting around 900,000 people. Most of explosive devices removed were related to airstrikes and shelling. Partners are continuing to implement spot task clearance  ( including survey activities ) , focusing on high risk and high impact locations as well as critical infrastructure.
17.8 million Yemenis are food insecure, with 8.4 million on the brink of starvation and needing emergency humanitarian assistance to stay alive. Needs are driven by the reduced level of commercial imports, increased hostilities, huge influx of newly displaced people, disrupted incomes and livelihoods, and alarming depreciation of the Yemeni Rial. Moreover, shortages, high prices of fuel, and insecurity caused by the escalation in the conflict is affecting transportation and restricting movement of commodities leading to rising prices of basic food commodities
The Health Cluster is operational in 22 governorates in Yemen. Cluster partners conducted around 7.0 million consultations out of which around 4.1 million were for children under 18 years of age. Almost 138,000 children received treatment for severe acute malnutrition. Around 17,000 trauma patients were received and managed by the hospitals. over 100,000 normal deliveries were conducted by skilled birth attendants and 24,000 mothers had caesarean sections along with 540,000 antenatal care visits and around 192,000 postnatal care visits. Clinical care was provided for 993 survivors of sexual and gender based violence.
Against a backdrop of significant needs for prevention/control of cholera and AWD, as well as prevention/reduction of malnutrition, WASH needs have been exacerbated by hostilities. In Al Hudaydah Governorate, hostilities have significantly disrupted services and triggered population displacement. Over 11 million people depend on the piped water network, four million people depend on private water sources and over four million live in areas affected by cholera/AWD. Breaks in public services due to insecurity that has also impacted access and infrastructure, have increased emergency WASH needs especially in Al Hudaydah and surrounding governorates.
WASH partners continue to scale up their responses and have reached over 10 million individuals. Support to water and sanitation systems reached about 5.7 million people. This included rapid response teams for emergency repairs where pipe lines were damaged during conflict, and support with fuel/water treatment chemicals. WASH emergency and life saving assistance included scaling up cholera prevention and response through rapid response teams and WASH interventions in cholera risk areas. WASH partners also responded to new IDPs, particularly from Al Hudaydah. Some 7.1 million individuals have been reached through one or a combination of emergency water supply, sanitation, basic hygiene and awareness activities.
Despite gaps in funding and serious operational constraints to protection, as of June 2018, Protection Cluster partners have reached over 1.4 million people with life saving protection services such as psychosocial support, legal assistance and protection, as well as clinical care for survivors and safe spaces for women, men, girls and boys. Over 172,000 persons have been reached through monitoring of protection and IHL/IHRL, while almost 922,000 children and community members have received information to protect them against mines and UXOs. Community based responses continue to be strengthened through community based protection network volunteers, community protection initiatives as well as community centers serving the needs of IDPs and conflict affected populations.
An estimated 7.5 million people need nutrition assistance, of whom 2.9 million people will require treatment for acute malnutrition in 2018. This includes 1.8 million children under the age of five and 1.1 million pregnant and lactating women  ( PLW ) . Some 2.3 million PLW and caretakers of children aged 0 23 months will require infant and young child feeding counselling. Main challenges faced by nutrition partners include bureaucratic and administrative impediments, non payment of salaries to health workers, access constraints and a limited number of community health workers in the country.
The poorest parts of the population pay the biggest price. They have to cope with destruction, famine, cholera outbreaks and other adversities that come with war. Meanwhile, international aid organizations are prevented from entering the country. The Saoudi led coalition has firmly locked off the country, among other things to prevent the supply of weapons for armed Houthi factions.
Since the begging of 2018, approximately 138,800 children with Severe Acute Malnutrition  ( SAM ) , over 184,000 children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition  ( MAM )  and 149,000 Pregnant and lactating women  ( PLW )  with acute malnutrition, have been admitted for treatment. In addition, 321,491 children have received micronutrient powders, while 869,000 women have received Infant and Young Child Feeding  ( IYCF )  counselling. Some 200,700 children aged 6 23 months and 244,600 pregnant and lactating women, were reached through Blanket Supplementary Feeding programmes.
Disruption to the payments of salaries to teachers in 13 governorates has greatly hindered the commencement of the school year in these governorates and continues to jeopardise the provision of education. Displacement is also affecting education systems as teachers and students are displaced and schools are often used by IDPs as shelter. There is an urgent need to support schools in districts with high severity of need, through provision of desks and essential learning supplies and teacher training on psychosocial support.
From January to June, around 213,000 children have benefited from school repairs including rehabilitation of WASH facilities. Cluster partners supported various activities reaching around 346,000 students by providing emergency related training for their teachers, 89,400 with provision of learning supplies. Almost 72,000 students were provided with food and 7,800 were provided with alternative learning classrooms. Education staff & Father Mother Councils  ( FMCs )  received training in the form of Education in Emergency  ( EIE )  and resilience in four governorates benefiting 94,200 staff & FMCs members.
Eight million people need access to emergency income to meet critical food needs and access to services. The sudden escalation of conflict in Al Hudaydah reduces further prospects of socio economic recovery for millions of people around the western coast line. Many livelihoods projects being implemented in Al Hudaydah and Hajjah have been suspended on security grounds, leaving affected communities without social safety net. Landmines and explosive remnants of war continue to pose a threat to lives and prevent the resumption of economic activities, movements of populations and goods as well as access to basic services and infrastructure.
Cluster partners released over 5 million square meters  ( 50 per cent of the target )  of land through survey and clearance in 15 governorates, achieving 36 per cent of the 400,000 target for explosive ordnance disposal. 1,183 households  ( HHs )  were reached with small and micro business creation/recovery in 11 governorates; 9,703 HHs had access to income through emergency employment opportunities activities in 11 governorates; 93 HHs received assistance to end displacement in Lahj Governorate; 2,294 individuals had access to new skills for livelihoods through vocational/skills training; 817 individuals representing 82 local NGOs and authorities participated in capacity building activities.
The RMMS population of concern remains in need of multi sectoral assistance, including food, WASH, health, shelter, legal assistance, psychosocial support, support for persons with specific needs  ( PWSNs )  and durable solutions, given the shrinking asylum space in Yemen for refugees and asylum seekers due to lack of rule of law and deteriorating security conditions such as Al Hudaydah and Shabwah where migrants transit. Some of the on going logistical constraints for boat departures under the Assisted Spontaneous Return  ( ASR )  have been resolved, however, the pace of departure remains slow as weather conditions do not permit boat travel during the months of June to August. The current situation in Al Hudaydah has also resulted in long delays of Voluntary Humanitarian Return  ( VHR )  movement from the port.
The RMMS continues to provide life saving assistance to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, including to the 50,339 new arrivals from January to June 2018. IOM have provided NFIs  ( including hygiene kits )  to 16,634 individuals and temporary shelter to 244 individuals  ( MRPs ) . In the realm of durable solutions, as of 30 June, 1,205 refugees returned to Somalia through the UNHCR ASR programme; an additional 430 migrants were assisted to returned to their country of origin through IOM's Voluntary Humanitarian Return programme. 22 families  ( 81 individuals )  were submitted for resettlement to Sweden under various criteria, using resettlement as a durable solution but also as a protection tool, while 68 Eritreans were submitted for resettlement to Sweden under emergency priority as an alternative to indefinite detention in Aden.
In Aden, fuel vendor KIs reported that petrol and diesel were only available on the parallel market, in contrast to June where fuel prices and restocking times were among the lowest of all governorates assessed. In addition, restocking times among fuel vendor KIs in Al Dhale'e, supplied primarily by Aden, were the highest of all governorates, having increased by 7 days. • Fuel supply routes between Marib and the north west of the country have not reopened, following a halt in supply in the week of the 18th June, although Marib remained the primary supply point for fuel vendor KIs in Al Jawf and Al Bayda. • Vendor KIs in Amanat Al Asimah reported the longest restocking times for hygiene products of any governorate, however prices decreased in comparison to June. • The proportion of vendor KIs reporting constraints such as a shortage of demand and transportation issue decreased this month, following notable increases between May and June.
So far in 2018, 20 Ethiopian refugees from Kharaz camp have been resettled to Sweden. They had been in protracted displacement in Yemen, some of them since 1992. Resettlement is a protection tool for refugees with specific needs who are at particular risk in Yemen.
Each month, UNHCR offers primary healthcare and health awareness education for over 2,000 refugees and the host community in Kharaz camp. Some 40 percent of the patients treated in the Kharaz camp clinic are from the Yemeni host community. Health services that are available in Kharaz include: emergency treatments, psychosocial healthcare services, reproductive healthcare services, physiotherapy and referrals for refugees to receive specialised treatment.
UNHCR is responding to prevent and control the spread of cholera among refugee and host populations through a Diarrheal Treatment Centre  ( DTC )  in Kharaz camp, along with carrying out hygiene promotion and community awareness campaigns and capacity building activities to benefit health staff. Since mid May, the DTC in Kharaz has received 18 suspected cases of cholera  ( four refugees and 14 migrants ) , out of which, 11 cases were confirmed by Rapid Cholera Testing  ( RCT ) . No cholera related deaths have so far been reported in 2018.
Between June 1 and July 29, the military offensive in Al Hudaydah displaced approximately 340,000 people, with the majority remaining within the governorate, according to the UN. Despite access constraints and ongoing conflict in southern Al Hudaydah particularly in Ad Durayhimi, At Tuhayat, and Hays districts relief actors had provided emergency assistance to nearly 283,000 people displaced from and within the governorate as of July 29, the UN reports.
Conflict related damage to reproductive health facilities has restricted access to critical health care services for an estimated 90,000 women and girls of childbearing age in Al Hudaydah who are expected to give birth within the next nine months, the UN Population Fund  ( UNFPA )  reports. The UN agency estimates that as many as 750,000 women and girls of childbearing age, including nearly 14,000 pregnant women, are at risk of life threatening complications if they do not receive urgent maternal care and medicines. Yemen has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the Middle East, with 385 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births according to a 2015 UNFPA estimate.
In response to increased humanitarian needs caused by displacement from and within Al Hudaydah Governorate since mid June, Shelter Cluster partners distributed relief commodities and emergency shelter kits to more than 2,500 households in Ad Durayhimi District and distributed relief commodities to 400 households in Amanat al Asimah, Amran, and Dhamar governorates from July 14–24. WASH Cluster partners recently rehabilitated or constructed 120 latrines in Ad Durayhimi, Al Khawkhah, and Al Marawi'ah districts, while Food Security and Agriculture Cluster partners stocked 60,000 MTs of wheat flour sufficient to feed 4.3 million people for one month in Al Hudaydah warehouses, according to the UN.
A USAID/OFDA partner has reached nearly 1,900 households, or more than 13,000 individuals, in Al Hudaydah Governorate's Al Mighlaf District with unconditional cash transfers since July 18. More than 40 percent of Al Mighlaf's population consists of IDPs or IDP hosting households. Additionally, the partner continues to support nearly 3,000 individuals displaced from Al Hudaydah who are residing in Amran Governorate with emergency assistance facilitated through the Rapid Response Mechanism.
Between 2004 and early 2015, conflict between the Republic of Yemen Government  ( RoYG )  and Al Houthi opposition forces in the north and between Al Qaeda affiliated groups and RoYG forces in the south affected more than 1 million people and repeatedly displaced populations in northern Yemen, resulting in humanitarian need. Fighting between RoYG forces and tribal and militant groups since 2011 limited the capacity of the RoYG to provide basic services, and humanitarian needs increased among impoverished populations. The advancement of Al Houthi forces in 2014 and 2015 resulted in the renewal and escalation of conflict and displacement, further exacerbating already deteriorated humanitarian conditions.
In March 2015, the KSA led Coalition began airstrikes against Al Houthi and allied forces to halt their southward expansion. The ongoing conflict has damaged or destroyed public infrastructure, interrupted essential services, and reduced commercial imports to a fraction of the levels required to sustain the Yemeni population; the country relies on imports for 90 percent of its grain and other food sources.
Since March 2015, the escalated conflict, coupled with protracted political instability, the resulting economic crisis, rising fuel and food prices, and high levels of unemployment, has left more than 17.8 million people food insecure and more than 22.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. In addition, the conflict had displaced nearly 3 million people, including more than 900,000 people who had returned to areas of origin, as of December 2017. The volatility of the current situation prevents relief agencies from obtaining accurate, comprehensive demographic information.
Our nutritionists in four targeted health centers  ( Bani Ali – Halian – Al Sharqi – Al Afuash )  continue providing nutritional services such as Outpatient Therapeutic Program  ( OTP ) , Targeted Supplementary Feeding Program  ( TSFP )  for Children Under five  ( CU5 )  and Pregnant & Lactating Women  ( PLW ) , reaching a total number of 2,068 individuals in Mudhiakhera district of Ibb governorate.
A total number of 4,709 individuals continue to receive free medical services including Primary Health Care  ( PHC ) , Vaccination, Integrated Management Childhood Illnesses  ( IMCI ) , Reproductive Health services  ( RH )  through four targeted health centers  ( Bani Ali – Halyan – Al Sharqi – Al Afuash )  which we support to provide assistance for patients of many diseases, children, and Pregnant & Lactating Women  ( PLW )  in reproductive age, living in Mudhiakhera district of Ibb governorate.
"This war is killing not only by bombs and bullets, but a plethora of illnesses for which people are being denied access to healthcare," said Mohamed Abdi, Country Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Yemen. "Millions of Yemenis now effectively live in an open prison between hostile borders and frontlines of war. As long as the airport is closed, so is the single safe route to lifesaving medical treatment."