UNHCR aids 250,000 displaced people in Yemen

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced Tuesday that it provided more than 250,000 displaced people in Yemen with basic items in the first quarter of this year.

“The UNHCR led @YEShelterCCCM is responding and has reached over 250,000 people between Jan-March 2019 with basic household items like blankets, mattresses & kitchen sets,” UNHCR Yemen said on Twitter.

Yemen has been wracked by chaos since 2014, when the Houthi rebel group overran much of the country.

The following year, a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

Since then, thousands of people -- including numerous civilians -- are believed to have been killed in the ongoing conflict, while the UN has warned that some 14 million Yemenis remain at risk of starvation.

Since the conflict began, Turkey has been a major contributor of humanitarian aid to the war-weary country.