The Saudi-led military coalition must fully lift its blockade on Yemen, where 7 or 8 million are “right on the brink of famine”, UN humanitarian affairs chief Mark Lowcock said on Friday.
“That blockade has been partially wound down but not fully wound down. It needs to be fully wound down if we are to avoid an atrocious humanitarian tragedy involving the loss of millions of lives, the like of which the world has not seen for many decades,” he said, Reuters reported.
The Riyadh regime imposed a tight blockade on nearly all Yemeni air, land and sea ports on November 6, prompting human rights and charity groups to raise the alarm over the deteriorating situation in the country as people, particularly children, are increasingly suffering from lack of food and medical supplies.
More than 12,000 people have been killed since the onset of Saudi Arabia’s deadly campaign against Yemen in March 2015.
Much of the Arabian Peninsula country’s infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been reduced to rubble due to the war.
Another 2,100 people have died of cholera since April as hospitals struggle to secure basic supplies across the country.
According to the UN, the country is experiencing “the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet.”
(TNA)
