Spanish newspaper: Yemen crisis is worst disaster in over a century

SANAA, June 30 (YPA) – The devastating consequences of the Saudi war on Yemen over a period of four years have become the largest humanitarian crisis the world has ever known for over a century, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo said.

The newspaper called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to urgently provide the necessary support of food and medicine in order to save the population from the spectre of famine, caused by the unavailability of basic foodstuffs and medicines.

In addition to this, the spread of epidemics and deadly diseases has also claimed the lives of thousands of innocent citizens, as a result of the deterioration of health services. Diseases such as cholera have become a threat to the lives of more than two million Yemeni children.

The newspaper also referred to the malnutrition that the majority of Yemen’s population is suffering from as a result of the ongoing war and blockade and the increase in the number of displaced persons who have lost their homes and properties.

According to UN statistics, there are more than 240,000 people suffering from malnutrition, who cannot provide their necessary sustenance for the next day because of the complete cessation of development and service activities in this war-ravaged country, and because of the blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition countries.

This has led to economic collapse, lack of employment opportunities for the labour force and the non-imbursement of salaries to state employees, some of whom have not been properly paid for more than 4 years and as such depend on humanitarian assistance.

E.M