Nearly 85,000 children under the age of five have died from acute malnutrition in Yemen since the start of the conflict, an international NGO said on Wednesday, after humanitarian officials warned that the war-torn nation was heading towards the worst famine in history.
The statement by UK-headquartered Save the Children came a day after Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber met the Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross for the GCC, Yahya Al Oleibi, to discuss co-operation over the humanitarian situation in Yemen, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Eight million Yemenis are currently affected by severe food shortages, according to UN officials, who warned that up to 14 million – or half of Yemen's population – are at risk of famine.
Of that number, 1.8 million are children under five years old who are described as acutely malnourished. Another 400,000 are severely acutely malnourished, and yet another 1.1 million are malnourished pregnant or nursing women.
“I saw children dying before my very own eyes,” the head of the UN World Food Programme, who visited Yemen last week, said in a televised interview with CNN. David Beasley said he tried to tickle the children expecting them to smile, but it felt instead “like tickling ghosts”.
Aid organisations blame both Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition for deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the country.
Aid groups, including Save the Children, say not enough food is entering the country through Yemen's main port of Hodeidah.
The rebel-held port, through which the country imported up to 90 per cent of its food before the war, has had a drop-off of commercial imports by more than 55,000 tonnes a month since the Saudi-led coalition imposed a blockade on the area a year ago, Save the Children said. This is only enough to meet the needs of 4.4 million people, including 2.2 million children, it said.
Meanwhile, Mr Beasley said Houthi rebels were endangering humanitarian operations elsewhere in the country.
The WFP chief accused the Iran-backed rebels of placing seven landmines inside grain bins in one of WFP’s grain silos in Hodeidah.
He said his team found the landmines only two days after he had left Yemen.
“They [Houthi rebels] have been entering our facilities, violating every humanitarian principle, putting our people, who are working there, putting their lives on the line,” he said. “This has got to stop.”
The deputy governor of Hodeidah province, Waleed Al Qudaimi told The National that the Houthi militia was planting landmines and threatening food warehouses in an attempt to put pressure on relief organisations to providing food for the rebel group's fighters.
He also claimed that rebels stole thousands of sacks of flour meant for families living in rebel-controlled parts of Hodeidah.
Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pledged $500 million (Dh1.8 billion) to tackle food shortages in Yemen.
The new aid programme will provide food assistance to up to 12 million Yemenis.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are working with organisations on the ground to ensure aid and food assistance reaches the most vulnerable populations, Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Co-operation, told a news conference.
“We are focusing on the most affected groups, especially malnourished children, pregnant women and the elderly,” she told reporters. “We will ensure that humanitarian conditions improve.”
Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, where 8.3 million people are dependent on food aid, according to the UN. The nearly three-year civil war has pushed the country to edge of famine with outbreaks of cholera and diphtheria.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to push back the Houthi rebels and restore the government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi. The Houthi rebels, backed by the Iranian regime, have repeatedly launched ballistic missile towards Saudi.
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Read more:
Editorial: The moment for peace in Yemen must be seized
Arab Coalition throws its weight behind Yemen peace talks
Unicef says 'every 10 minutes' a child is dying in Yemen
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
China and the UAE agree comprehensive strategic partnership
China and the UAE forged even closer links between the two countries during the landmark state visit after finalising a ten-point agreement on a range of issues, from international affairs to the economy and trade and renewable energy.
1. Politics: The two countries agreed to support each other on issues of security and to work together on regional and international challenges. The nations also confirmed that the number of high-level state visits between China and the UAE will increase.
2. Economy: The UAE offers its full support to China's Belt and Road Initiative, which will combine a land 'economic belt" and a "maritime silk road" that will link China with the Arabian Gulf as well as Southeast, South and Central China, North Africa and, eventually, Europe.
3. Business and innovation: The two nations are committed to exploring new partnerships in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, energy, the aviation and transport industries and have vowed to build economic co-operation through the UAE-China Business Committee.
4. Education, science and technology: The Partnership Programme between Arab countries in Science and Technology will encourage young Emirati scientists to conduct research in China, while the nations will work together on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, renewable energy and space projects.
5. Renewable energy and water: The two countries will partner to develop renewable energy schemes and work to reduce climate change. The nations have also reiterated their support for the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency.
6. Oil and gas: The UAE and China will work in partnership in the crude oil trade and the exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources.
7. Military and law enforcement and security fields: Joint training will take place between the Chinese and UAE armed forces, while the two nations will step up efforts to combat terrorism and organised crime.
8. Culture and humanitarian issues: Joint cultural projects will be developed and partnerships will be cultivated on the preservation of heritage, contemporary art and tourism.
9. Movement between countries: China and the UAE made clear their intent to encourage travel between the countries through a wide-ranging visa waiver agreement.
10. Implementing the strategic partnership: The Intergovernmental Co-operation Committee, established last year, will be used to ensure the objectives of the partnership are implemented.
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
