MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Monday's breach of the humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen causes some 25,000 additional people to starve each day as the blockade and fighting restrict food and other vital supplies, Oxfam Country Director for Yemen Philippe Clerc said in a statement on Tuesday.
On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition announced the third five-day humanitarian truce with the Houthi rebels in Yemen to allow for aid to be delivered to those injured and displaced by the violence. The UN-backed truce came into force at 20:59 GMT Sunday, but was disrupted by two Saudi-led airstrikes early Monday morning.
"Since the start of the conflict, every day that goes by without a ceasefire and full resumption of imports sees nearly 25,000 additional people go hungry in Yemen. As the warring parties continue to ignore calls for a ceasefire, the average family in Yemen is left wondering when their next meal will be — if they survive the bombs, they’re now running out of food," Clerc said.
Clerc urged the United States, the United Kingdom and Iran to use their influence over warring parties to resolve the conflict after failed humanitarian pauses.
Yemen has been in a state of turmoil since 2014, when Houthi rebels took control over large parts of the country, prompting President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee.
In late March, the Saudi-led coalition of Arab states began airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen at the request of Hadi.
According to Oxfam and UN estimates, more than 500,000 people in Yemen have been displaced since March. Over 12 million people in the country are struggling to find enough food to survive.
