Yemen: Save the Children Statement on Reported Agreement for Hodeidah Ceasefire, Sana’a Airport Reopening

Bill Chambers, Save the Children Canada’s President and CEO, said:

“The warring parties must implement the steps agreed in Sweden, in line with international humanitarian law. The world will be watching. A ceasefire in Hodeidah, and the reopening of Sanaa airport to domestic flights, are important first steps to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Yemen.

“We must use this window of opportunity as a critical first step in achieving a sustainable and nation-wide ceasefire, to get more life-saving aid and commercial goods into and throughout the country and reach the children and families who need it most. It’s literally a matter of life and death, in a country where some 85,000 children are already believed to have died from extreme hunger and disease, from entirely preventable causes.

“Only an end to the war can bring lasting relief to Yemeni people but until then, the international community must continue to put pressure on all sides to urgently address the humanitarian crisis to avoid a widespread famine. That means easing restrictions on humanitarian and commercial imports, stabilizing the collapsing economy and stopping the fighting so no more civilian lives are lost. The UN Security Council must demand that all sides implement the steps agreed to in Sweden at Friday’s crucial meeting in New York.

“This is the best chance we’ve had in more than four years to end this brutal war and ensure a brighter future for Yemen’s children, tens of thousands of whom have already died because of it.”