Cholera Cases in Yemen Exceed 925,000 Amid Saudi-Led Coalition Blockade

The number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has exceeded 925,000 as access for humanitarian aid remains unavailable because of the blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition, UN Secretary General’s deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Wednesday.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — On November 6, the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi insurgent movement in Yemen said it was closing the country’s ground, air and sea ports. The coalition noted it had taken such course of action after a ballistic missile was fired over Riyadh from Yemen.

"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that as of 12 November there are over 925,000 suspected cholera cases in Yemen, with more than 2,200 associated deaths," UN Secretary General’s deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Wednesday. "Ships and planes carrying humanitarian supplies have been unable to reach Yemen since the start of the blockade."

Haq said aid workers continue to respond to the cholera outbreak, but according to their estimates, stocks of fuel for hospital generators and clean water supplies will run out in less than three weeks while vaccines stocks will be depleted in two weeks.

UN humanitarian aid head Mark Lowcock said that the Saudi-led coalition blockade might result in the largest famine in many decades that would result in millions of victims.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Abdallah Al-Mouallimi confirmed that the coalition is taking steps to start the process of re-opening Yemen’s ports.