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            Millions of Civilians in War-Torn Yemen in Dire Straits

   by Lisa Schlein

   The United Nations is appealing to the international community to come
   to the aid of millions of civilians in war-torn Yemen, struggling to
   survive as humanitarian conditions in the country continue to
   deteriorate.
   U.N. Coordinator for Yemen Jamie McGoldrick calls Yemen an invisible
   crisis, a war waged in the shadows of the war being fought in nearby
   Syria. While all eyes are on tragic events unfolding in Syria, he said
   the humanitarian situation for some 22 million Yemenis is becoming
   increasingly dire.
   "The scale of the emergency is tremendous," he said. "The scale of the
   needs is massive and the depths of the crisis is immeasurable and the
   suffering that goes with that is just incredulous. Every corner you
   turn; everyone you meet has been affected by this crisis. Everybody who
   you come across in any part of this country has felt this conflict, has
   felt this war."

   The Yemeni government and Houthi rebels have been engaged in a sporadic
   civil war for many years; but, the depth of destruction and increased
   danger to the civilian population has seriously escalated since Saudi
   Arabia began its devastating aerial campaign in March 2015.
   McGoldrick said it appears as though the fighting in Yemen has gone
   down since U.N.-mediated peace negotiations started a few weeks ago.

   Nevertheless, he said conditions continue to deteriorate because people
   have to contend with the country's shattered infrastructure and broken
   economy. He said the war is having a particularly terrible impact on
   children.

   \"Ten thousand kids under five was mentioned as a figure of people, of
   children who have died from preventable diseases because of the lack of
   services, the lack of medicine," he said. "And, dying, you know, of
   things like pneumonia and diarrhea ... A lot of these deaths are
   covered up by the fact that a lot of them are related to nutrition as
   well."

   McGoldrick said some 200,000 people have left Yemen, while 2.5 million
   people have been forced to flee their homes and remain internally
   displaced.

   Last year, the United Nations appealed for $1.8 billion to provide
   life-saving assistance for 7.6 million of Yemen's most vulnerable
   people. Sadly, he says, only 17 percent of that appeal has been
   received.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/millions-civillians-ear-torn-yemen-di
   re-straits/3359127.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/millions-civillians-ear-torn-yemen-dire-straits/3359127.html