MSF Warns of Civilian Casualties in Yemen

The head of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) stated that the blockade against Yemen is taking civilian lives at the level of a real war. According to Agence France-Presse, Joanne Liu, the head of MSF, made this statement during her visit to Yemen on Thursday. She said that by preventing doctors from accessing sick individuals in Yemen, many lives are being lost. The coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia are imposing a naval, land, and air blockade on Yemen to prevent Houthi forces from accessing the weapons and equipment they need. Liu acknowledged the coalition's desire to continue the blockade but called for safe ways to deliver food and medicine so that people do not die from treatable diseases. She added that it should not be forgotten that Yemen relies on imports for 90% of its food and 100% of its medicine. The coalition forces announced last Monday that they would implement a five-day humanitarian ceasefire to allow for the delivery of aid, but this ceasefire lasted only one day as eyewitnesses reported that Houthi forces shelled residential areas in the city of Taiz. However, Liu accused both sides involved, namely the Houthi militants and the forces loyal to the ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, of targeting civilians. MSF has 60 international members and 500 local members in Yemen. According to the UN, nearly four thousand people have been killed in the Yemen conflict so far, about half of whom are civilians. The report adds that 80% of Yemen's population—approximately 21 million people—are in need of humanitarian assistance, and over 10 million are struggling to obtain food and water. The United Nations has requested $1.6 billion for humanitarian aid to Yemen, but so far, only 15% of that, or $241 million, has been received. According to the UN, there is still no news of the $274 million that Saudi Arabia promised to pay last month, as discussions about the conditions for this payment are ongoing, while aid groups say that the conditions for people in Yemen are such that they are on the brink of starvation. Four months have passed since the conflict in Yemen began, during which the Houthi Shiites succeeded in ousting Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the Saudi-backed president of the country.