Leading charity Oxfam has warned that the situation in Yemen is dire with families finding it difficult to survive airstrikes and are facing starvation. Oxfam has called the situation “a perfect storm of suffering” and the entire country is suffering as the fighting has disabled a key port which is preventing the arrival of crucial shipments of food and fuel. According to the UN the number of vessels transporting vital loads to Yemen which has been ravaged by civil war for close to two years now has declined by 50 per cent in just a couple of months.
Fall in food deliveries dramatic
The fall in food and fuel deliveries has been dramatic and means that the fuel and food imports are at just a fraction of what is necessary for the country to survive and this is prompting fears of widespread famine. Oxfam is calling on the UK government to broker a peace deal in response to the crisis. The government has been accused of selling fighter jets and bombs to Saudi Arabia which have been used against civilians.
Millions could end up starving
It is estimated that eight million people in Yemen are already suffering from malnutrition with over 20 million facing starvation. Oxfam worries that the companies which import grain into Yemen will give up on the country because of the logistical and financial issues. Oxfam says that the possibility of widespread famine is a real and imminent threat. A spokesman for the aid agency says that the situation in Yemen is effectively a blockade and is making what is already a desperate situation even worse.
“Yemen is a country where 90 per cent of food is imported. If the importation of grain and other basics is halted, the consequences could not be clearer or more worrying. The country is enduring a perfect storm of suffering.”
Britain should broker peace
So far, the conflict has claimed more than 10,000 lives, 4000 of which are civilians. Three million people have been estimated to flee their homes. Both sides in the conflict have been accused of committing war crimes, however Oxfam says the British government has a moral duty to help broker a peace agreement after selling arms to Saudi Arabia that have been alleged to have been used in war crimes against civilians. The spokesman went on to add that the UK is sending aid to Yemen to mitigate the effects of war but simultaneously selling arms used to wage that war. Oxfam says the UK should not be an arms dealer in Yemen but instead act as a peace broker.
