International Rescue Committee provides emergency aid in Yemen, where 200,000 have been displaced, and urges protection for children

[Financial News] As fighting has intensified again in Yemen, at least 200,000 people have fled their homes in just over a month. Children face threats to their safety while fleeing and are also losing access to education because of school closures.
According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on the 13th, at least 79,000 of those displaced since fighting resumed between Ansar Allah and the Yemeni government early last month are children. The crisis has spread to five governorates, and many residents have been forced to flee for a second or third time.
The suspension of operations at Al Mokha port and the closure of major roads are blocking the transport of food and medicine. With emergency relief supplies already depleted by major flooding earlier this year, the resumption of fighting has further worsened conditions for aid delivery.
Education has also been affected. The closure of 243 schools or suspension of classes has affected around 137,000 students. Some schools are being used as temporary shelters, and classes have yet to resume there even as the new term begins.
Across Yemen, at least 2.2 million children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, with at least 500,000 in severe condition. Children in displaced families staying outdoors or in cramped temporary shelters are also exposed to violence and psychological distress.
According to field assessment findings released by UNICEF on September 25, at least a quarter of the approximately 2,900 children screened over several weeks in areas safely accessible to mobile nutrition teams were acutely malnourished. At least 200 of them were found to have severe acute malnutrition.
Caroline Sekyere and the IRC representative in Yemen said, "Families in Yemen are once again fleeing, leaving everything behind, and the cost is being borne by children in the form of threats to their safety and disrupted education."
IRC has launched an emergency response with around 120 local staff and 17 partner organizations. It has deployed mobile medical teams to Aden, Lahj and Abyan to provide health, nutrition and protection services, and plans to provide cash and relief supplies to up to 33,000 people in Aden and Lahj if funding becomes available.
Funding for Yemen’s overall humanitarian response stands at about 20% of what is needed, below last year’s 28.5%. IRC called on the international community and the parties to the conflict to protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access, increase emergency funding and pursue a political resolution to the conflict.

[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter