MORE than half a million Yemenis face the “double threat” of famine and near-freezing temperatures as winter bites, Oxfam has warned.
The aid agency has today called on the warring parties to respect a ceasefire agreed last week in Sweden as it acts to ease suffering.
The pause in fighting, which covers three ports and the city of Hudaydah, was first announced one week ago after Stockholm talks.
It came into effect late on Monday and both Saudi-backed government forces and Houthi rebels have said they are committed to the terms agreed.
Muhsin Siddiquey, Oxfam’s country director in Yemen, said it is “vital” they follow through to save hundreds of thousands of displaced people as winter conditions exacerbate their hardship.
Temperatures are likely to drop to below freezing in highland regions and rain brought in by southwest winds can fall in heavy torrents, leading to flooding. Oxfam says many of the 530,000 displaced people living in these areas are in makeshift shelters with no insulation or weatherproofing.
And, with imports of basic foodstuffs all but wiped out by the conflict, almost 20,000 of those who have fled fighting are facing winter in areas already experiencing famine conditions.
Meanwhile, the price of a month’s worth of essential food rose 15% in October, the last month for which data is available, and now costs 137% more than it did before the war began in 2015.
And around 7m public sector workers have gone unpaid for two years, with an estimated 8m thought to have lost their jobs since the private sector collapsed.
As one of several aid providers in the 25m-strong country, Oxfam is supplying clean water and cash to buy basics to people forced to flee their homes.
Siddiquey said: “Freezing temperatures could be the final straw for families already struggling to survive desperate hunger. Imagine trying to survive a winter freeze in a tent, far from your home, without knowing where your next meal is coming from – that is the dreadful prospect facing tens of thousands of families.
“It is vital that the ceasefire holds so that aid is able to reach as many people as possible this winter and those struggling to survive at least get a respite from the fighting.
“The international community cannot assume that the agreements reached in Sweden will fix everything. They need to keep the pressure on the warring parties to lay down their weapons and work towards a peaceful solution that will give the people of Yemen real hope.”
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