United Nations emergency aid coordinator Mark Lowcock said that humanitarian aid work in Yemen has almost come to a standstill, noting that Yemeni merchants who provide food and supplies to the country, and international commercial companies that supply them with supplies, will have to stop all trade in the country with the Houthis being placed on the terror list.
Lowcock told the UN Security Council that by stopping the shipment of flour,sugar and similar basic food supplies to Yemen by marchers who do not want to be on the US terror list, the country’s stockpiles will be completely depleted, making it impossible to provide food aid.
Lowcock said that 16 million people are starving in Yemen this year, with 50,000 starving to dead. And that Yemen, which imports 90 percent of its food needs, will come to a standstill when groups in the north of the country enter the terror list.
Lowcock noted that the licensed import permit that the United States will grant to aid organizations will not solve the problem, stressing that international companies that supply supplies to Yemeni merchants and merchants are considering stopping sales for fear of being placed on the terrorist list, and humanitarian organizations will also make it almost impossible to supply supplies
Before the implementation of the terror list, which was announced to take effect on January 19, panicked people in Yemen flocked to grocery chains and sales centers. In some regions, there are reports that warehouses have been looted, while aid agencies are also discussing what they can do to provide food supplies after the US decision.
Source: UNOCHA
