Possible death of 400,000 children in Yemen; Worst famine warning of the century.
The Executive Director of the World Food Program (WFP) has warned of the worst famine of the century in Yemen, saying 16 million Yemenis are suffering from hunger and five million of them are at risk of famine.
David Beazley, executive director of the UN World Food Program (WFP), called on the parties to the conflict in Yemen to lay down their arms and end the conflict to prevent more Yemenis from dying during the war and famine throughout the country. In an interview with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, he stated: “The situation of Yamat is devastating and this country is in the biggest humanitarian catastrophe on earth. 16 million Yemenis are suffering from hunger and five million of them are at risk of famine. “The aggravation of the situation is exacerbated by the lack of funding for humanitarian aid and the obstruction of the [Saudi] coalition from transporting fuel tankers to al-Hudaidah.”
“If nothing is done quickly, the world will face the worst famine of the century,” Beasley told a virtual news conference at UN headquarters.
The UN official expressed hope that the administration of US President Joe Biden would press the parties to the conflict to achieve lasting peace. Because the situation is very bad, especially because of preventing fuel from reaching the ports. This could negatively affect the process of humanitarian action and lead to an increase in the price of goods in the Yemeni markets.
The Executive Director of the World Food Program stated that the conflict in Yemen is man-made and it does not matter which side we blame. This conflict must end. I am also trying to persuade politicians to take the necessary steps to end this war. The time has come for this war to end and we are witnessing the greatest human catastrophe. For example, 400,000 Yemeni children will die if the necessary aid is not provided. That means one Yemeni child will die every 75 seconds. Our duty is obvious. “Finish the war, suffocate the guns.”
“This is a political question and I cannot answer it. Our message is clear. We want peace throughout the world,” he declined to answer Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed. Let the world stand and let the weapons go out.
