UNFPA warns of catastrophic consequences if Port City of hodeidah attacked

SANN, June 12 (YPA) – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned of catastrophic consequences of any further escalation of violence around the port city Hodeidah.

The recent escalation of violence in Yemen, which is witnessing the city of Hodeidah, is one of the most densely populated areas in the country that would put the lives of an estimated 250,000 civilians at grave risk, Dr. Luay Shabaneh, Regional Director of the United Nations Population Fund for the Arab Region said.

The port of Hodeidah is a key port for the humanitarian lifeline for the people of Yemen, he added.

Casualties on all sides would be high with a devastating impact on the civilian population. Families and children will be at risk of being trapped or displaced, and there is a severe risk of an increase in diseases and a worsening shortage of food, including possible famine, he said.

He called on all parties to the conflict to stop fighting in Hodeidah, to protect civilians, to ensure that they receive the assistance they need to survive and to allow humanitarian access under the international humanitarian law.

E.M