Aid agencies: Rise in fighting threatens to push Yemen into new levels of violence as war enters seventh year

As the conflict enters its seventh year on 26 March, new offensives have ignited in Hodeidah, Taiz,  Hajjah and Marib, attacks on civilians are on the rise, and the country is at imminent risk of  famine. 21 aid agencies in Yemen are calling for an immediate nationwide ceasefire and for  warring parties to return to the negotiating table. 

In February alone, 44 civilian women, children and men have been killed and at least 67 injured across  the country. Marib, Taiz, Hajjah and Hodeidah have seen particularly intense flare ups, threatening  civilians and displaced populations who are already living in incredibly difficult conditions. Access to these  populations continues to be a challenge, with aid agencies struggling to reach many of those impacted by  the conflict. The new wave of hostilities in Marib have already led to more than 11,000 civilians fleeing  since the first week of February, 70% of which are women and children. Should hostilities move further  towards the city and surrounding areas, another 385,000 people could be displaced. 

Although aid agencies are scaling up their response in all areas they can reach, they are overstretched  and underfunded. An assault on the city of Marib would result in fighting in densely populated urban  residential neighborhoods, leading to high civilian casualties, with people unable to flee and their access  to aid cut off. Aid agencies made similar warnings two years ago when an offensive on Hodeidah threatened the port city, and are calling once again on warring parties to put down their weapons and  protect civilians throughout the country. 

Across Yemen, the number of conflict frontlines have now increased to almost 50, social unrest and  political instability continues across southern Yemen, and fighting in Hodeidah is again threatening the  vital port through which 70% of Yemen’s food, medicine and supplies is transported. Since the start of  2021, cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia have also intensified, and a recent round of airstrikes have  struck the capital Sana’a. 

During a 12-month period defined for most of the world by the Covid-19 pandemic, Yemen has seen a  deepening economic crisis, escalating violence, and worsening hunger. A total of 47,500 people are  expected to experience famine like conditions this year, with another 16.2 million expected to go hungry  and said to be one step away from famine like conditions. While at the same time, humanitarian funding  levels for 2021 are only 44% of the actual needs. 

As the seventh year of the conflict approaches, it is vital that the UN Security Council and governments do everything in their power to de-escalate the hostilities, stop the use of explosive weapons in populated  areas, protect civilians caught up in the fighting, and bring parties back to the negotiating table. 

Quotes regarding the escalating violence: 

CARE Country Director Aaron Brent said: “Across Yemen warring parties must provide safe passage to  all fleeing civilians, and humanitarian organizations must be given unimpeded access to affected areas to  deliver critical and life-saving assistance. It is essential that donors also provide enough funding so that  people who have left their homes behind are able to access food, water and adequate shelter. And in  order to avert famine in Yemen and enable people to buy what they need to survive, we call on the  international community to rapidly scale up support to Yemen’s economy.”

NRC Acting Country Director Kitty Paulus said: “Right now, while the country is on the brink of starvation,  Marib is at breaking point and conflict is flaring in Taiz, Hodeidah and other parts of the country. The  fighting in Marib is endangering people in already living in undignified camps and other inadequate  shelters. These camps should be a safe haven, instead they are caught up in the crossfire. If the fighting  reaches the city the humanitarian consequences are unimaginable, and is likely to lead to even more  displacement and high civilian casualties. We’re calling on warring parties to uphold the laws of war and protect civilians, and on the UN security Council to take urgent action to put pressure on both sides to  agree an immediate nationwide ceasefire and work together to prevent a country-wide famine.” 

Notes to editors 

Sources: 

https://civilianimpact.activehosted.com/social/af44c4c56f385c43f2529f9b1b018f6a.2971 

https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Marib%20Situation%20Update%20No.%202.pdf  https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Ma%27rib%20Situation%20Update-Final27022021.pdf https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Yemen_HNO_2021_Final.pdf 

Contacts for further questions and information: 

Riona Judge McCormack, Media and Communications Coordinator for the Norwegian Refugee Council:  email riona.mccormack@nrc.no, WhatsApp +353852581926 

Mirno Pasquali, Humanitarian Policy Advisor for the Danish Refugee Council: email  mirno.pasquali@drc.ngo, WhatsApp +16039378284