madaresharghi [1]
The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Yemen said on Monday that millions of Yemenis face the risk of more deaths as aid deliveries cannot get to those in need because of the continuing blockade of the war-ravaged country by Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to AP by telephone from Sanaa, Stephen Anderson said it is “heartbreaking” that millions in Yemen depended on sustained access to humanitarian aid.
Of a population of 26 million, some 17 million Yemenis do not know where their next meal is coming from and seven million are totally dependent on food assistance.
Humanitarian flights to the northern parts of Yemen have been grounded amid the blockade imposed Saudi Arabia in response to a missile attack near the Saudi capital, Riyadh, earlier this month.
After widespread international criticism of its blockade, Saudi Arabia said last week it would reverse its closure of Yemen’s sea ports and airports.
On Sunday night, a Saudi airstrike in the northern Yemeni province of Jawf killed 10 civilians, including four women and two children, according to security officials and tribal sources in the area.
The airstrike targeted a house amid intense fighting, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.