‘3.5 million people flee homes across Yemen’

By Ismet Karakas

LAHIJ, Yemen (AA) - Around 3.5 million people across Yemen have fled their homes due to the conflict in the country, head of Turkish Red Crescent said on Friday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Yemen’s southern city of Lahij, Kerem Kinik said: “Two-third of the overall population have been struggling with food insecurity and hunger. Around 17-18 million people need help today.”

His remarks came as Turkish Red Crescent’s teams were distributing aid supplies at a tent city.

Kinik said that the majority of those staying in the tent city were the people, who fled conflicts in Al Hudaydah, the fourth largest city in the country.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and several of its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

While the Saudi-led coalition has succeeded in wresting some territory back from the Houthis, the Shia rebel group remains firmly ensconced in Sana’a and in several other parts of the country.

- Aid efforts

The Turkish Red Crescent has intensified its aid efforts in the country since 2015, head of the charity said.

“Being close to ports, particularly Hudaydah port, the most important entrance to Yemen, insecurity on roads and the lack of authority endanger the humanitarian aid efforts across the country.

“Our teams here have been distributing food on a daily basis. We have been providing medication to hospitals. We’ve been repairing the places, which need to be repaired. We have been providing education to people and have been supporting to Yemen Red Crescent,” Kinik added.

He criticized the international community for failing to do its part to cope with the crisis.

“The crisis in Yemen has been neglected by the humanity and international system,” he added.

“This crisis has caused a huge catastrophe. Unfortunately, there are 400,000 children, who do not know what will they eat the next day.”

Speaking about the general condition of the country, he said: “The health system in the country is not working. Vaccination cannot be done. Food prices have increased by 2-3 times. Even those people who have money are facing serious difficulties to get food.”

Kinik called on the international community to act to end the crisis, saying “conflicts should be stopped first.”

“The obstacles ahead of the humanitarian aids should be lifted and security of human rights workers should be tightened. Many humanitarian aid workers have died in Yemen. Our friends, unfortunately, have been working together with these risks,” he added.

He recalled President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remark that Turkey will not leave Yemeni people alone and that his government's support will continue in this regard.

Together with Turkish Red Crescent, other non-governmental organizations -- including Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) -- separately launched aid campaigns to raise money for people in Yemen.

Yemen has been dogged by conflict since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sana’a, forcing the government to take up temporary residence in the coastal city of Aden.