Lift Yemen blockade or thousands will die, UN agencies tell Saudis
Source: The Guardian
Untold thousands of innocent people will die in Yemen unless the Saudi-led military coalition unconditionally lifts it blockade of the country’s ports, the heads of three UN agencies have warned.
In a powerful joint statement the heads of the World Food Programme, Unicef and the World Health Organisation said the cost of the blockade was “being measured in the number of lives that are lost”.
Supplies including medicines, vaccines and food are waiting to enter the country, the agencies said. “Without them, untold thousands of innocent victims, among them many children, will die.”
The plea follows a strongly worded statement released late on Wednesday by the UK Foreign Office that called on all parties to “ensure immediate access for commercial and humanitarian supplies to avert the threat of starvation and disease faced by millions of citizens”.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/16/lift-yemen-blockade-to-save-children-un-agencies-tell-saudis
An international aid group says an estimated 130 children or more die every day in war-torn Yemen from extreme hunger and disease.
Save the Children said late Wednesday that a continuing blockade by the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Shiite rebels is likely to further increase the death rate. It says over 50,000 children are believed to have died in 2017.
Saudi Arabia blocked Yemen's ports after a rebel missile attack near Riyadh. It said Monday the coalition would lift the blockade after widespread international criticism.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-save-the-children-yemen-20171116-story.html
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