Hospitals Attacked in Yemen

Children play football against a backdrop of destroyed houses in northwest Yemen Children play football against a backdrop of destroyed houses in northwest Yemen ICRC / Karrar al-Moayyad

10 February 2020

Attacks on hospitals in the Marib province have left thousands with limited medical care

The Al Jafra and Al Saudi hospitals in the Majzer District in Marib were attacked during recent clashes, says the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande. Both health facilities were badly damaged, including the occupational therapy unit, the intensive care unit, the in-patients unit, and the pharmacy at Al Jafra, which is the main hospital in Marib. 

The hospitals, which are located about 75 kilometers northwest of Marib City, serve a population of around 15,000 people, the UN report claims. Much of this population consists of people who have been displaced by conflict. According to Relief Web, nearly 80 percent of Yemen’s population is in need of humanitarian aid; 7 million people are malnourished and 10 million people are on the brink of famine.

Fighting escalated in mid-January in Marib and other nearby governorates, which led to over 4,600 families fleeing from the Marib, Sana’a, and Al Jawf governorates. Aid workers have been providing resources to thousands of people across the region for weeks now. Services include emergency kits of food, hygiene supplies, shelter materials, and protection services. 

Ms. Grande called the attack on the hospitals an “unacceptable breach of international humanitarian law.” She also said that preventing further damage to the medical facilities and rebuilding the hospitals are among the UN’s top priorities in the region. On 31 January, the

EU called on both the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government to halt escalation of violence amid rising casualties. The EU has worked with both sides to try to work towards an agreement that would end the conflict that has put millions at risk of this humanitarian disaster. 

 

To read more, visit:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/02/1057101

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/attacks-marib-hospitals-limit-medical-services-available-thousands-displaced-people

https://www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=51648&SEO=the-european-union-calls-to-halt-military-escalation-in-yemen

 

Author: Vito Quaglia; Editor: Rachel Warner

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