WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Three United Nations agencies — UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) — in a joint statement called on the global community to substantially increase assistance to Yemen amid growing humanitarian crises.
"We now call on the international community to redouble its support for the people of Yemen," the statement said on Tuesday. "If we fail to do so, the catastrophe we have seen unfolding before our eyes will not only continue to claim lives but will scar future generations and the country for years to come."
The agencies emphasized cholera outbreak and severe malnutrition require an immediate collaborative response, which would also help to prevent the future emergencies.
The cholera outbreak in Yemen was announced by the country's health authorities on October 6, 2016.
The health situation in the country is aggravated by the ongoing civil war, which erupted in 2015 between the internationally recognized government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi movement backed by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Shortly after the outbreak of the conflict, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries launched airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request.
