Angelina Jolie calls, from Sanaa, for sympathy, solidarity with Yemeni people

SANAA, March 09 (YPA) – The Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Angelina Jolie, on Tuesday expressed here hope for the international sympathy and solidarity with the Yemeni people.

Jolie said on her account on the “Instagram” website, “I am in Sanaa today, and I am meeting with more Yemeni families who have been displaced and injured in the conflict.”

She noted more than 4 million Yemenis have been forced from their homes by violence, and are living internally displaced within the country, and more than half of them are children.

There are at least 50 active fronts across the country, which means that civilians are still being killed and wounded every day, she added.

The UN Goodwill Ambassador also posted and commented on some of photos from a site for internally displaced people in northern Sanaa, saying “The site currently hosts about 130 Yemeni families. Only 20 of these families receive food rations, and even for these most vulnerable families, rations are limited. All teachers work without pay, walk 3 hours a day to get to school and back home again. Children often come to school after they have not eaten any food at all.”

She added; “While here in Yemen, I also visited Lahj province in the south of the country, where there are 35 displaced families. The temporary camp lacks all basic services, and the nearest water source is 15 km away. There are no toilets or shower facilities and most of the children who live here do not go to school.”

Jolie criticized in her post the dominance of conflicts and wars on the headlines of the main news.

“But these headlines can lead to a lot of international sympathy and solidarity, and I hope that this sympathy and solidarity extends to the Yemeni people,” she concluded.

On the other hand, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees published a comment on Jolie’s post and said:

“As UNHCR, we call on all parties to the conflict to:

-Respect and adherence to international humanitarian law.

-Creating a safe passage for civilians trying to flee conflict areas.

-Delivering humanitarian aid to all those in need of humanitarian workers.

-Signing a peace agreement to end the conflict.

-Directing an urgent appeal to the United Nations to increase its aid, which amounts to only 9%.”

YPA