Roundup: Thousands of displaced families face harsh living conditions in northern Yemen

2021-01-11 22:05:53 GMT2021-01-12 06:05:53(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of internally displaced Yemeni families are facing harsh living conditions in their displacement camps in the country's northeastern province of Marib, as years-long conflict continues in the war-ravaged Arab country.

Scores of displaced people staged a protest on Sunday to denounce the deterioration of their living conditions and lack of basic needs in their camp that hosts nearly 500 families in Marib.

During the protest, the displaced protesters appealed to the country's government and international organizations, especially the World Food Program (WFP), to respond to their demands and provide their families with essential food supplies.

Men, women, and children participated in the protest, raising banners calling for an end to their suffering in the camp, and holding slogans reading "We are starved silently. We need water and food."

Last March, the Houthi rebel group staged large military operations and succeeded in capturing key areas in the northern province of al-Jawf, forcing thousands of families to leave their villages and flee to the neighboring province of Marib.

Fahed Qatwani, director of the internal displacement unit in al-Jawf, told Xinhua that nearly 10,553 families were displaced from al-Jawf during the past nine months and are currently distributed in ten displacement camps in Marib.

Qatwani said that the number of refugees in al-Jawf is estimated at 52,765 and most of them are currently living in the government-controlled province of Marib.

He stressed all those people are currently at risk of starvation amid a lack of basic living needs such as clean drinking water and food supplies inside their camps in Marib.

The local official indicated that there is an urgent need to provide necessary psychological support for the displaced children and provide material assistance to their families including accommodation requirements.

Majid Ayyash, a local Yemeni observer from al-Jawf province, also said the displacement camps in Marib are at risk of collapse and people are starving there.

"The displaced people are now suffering and dying silently due to acute shortages of food, water, and medicines in their camps," said Ayyash.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The United Nations describes the humanitarian crisis in Yemen as the worst on the planet, with hunger, acute malnutrition, epidemics, and economic blockade killing thousands of Yemen's children. Enditem

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