Escalating conflict worsens humanitarian crisis in Yemen: UN envoy

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Johannes van der Klaauw, said on Thursday that the escalating conflict over the past four weeks has worsened an already large-scale humanitarian crisis in the country.

Since March 19, conservative estimates indicate that more than 1,080 people have been killed, some 4,350 people injured, and more than 150,000 people displaced, the humanitarian coordinator was quoted as saying by UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric here.

"The humanitarian coordinator said that the supply of food, fuel, water and electricity across the country has been disrupted. Schools, health facilities and private homes have been damaged or destroyed," Dujarric said. "An estimated 2 million children are unable to attend school."

"The country's health system is at imminent risk of collapse due to shortages of medical supplies and fuel for generators," the spokesman said.

He welcomed any initiatives that seek to reduce the level of violence, notably shelling and coalition airstrikes in populated areas that harm civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Van der Klaauw added that humanitarian pauses are urgently needed to safely bring aid workers and supplies into the country and for the aid to reach millions of people in need.

"This requires the support of all parties to the conflict to facilitate the safe passage of aid and unimpeded access for humanitarians to affected areas in accordance with international humanitarian law," Dujarric said.

In the current Yemeni crisis, the United Nations and its partners have not been spared. In the capital of Sanaa, the offices of several UN agencies and partner organizations were damaged by explosions on April 21, forcing at least one agency to suspend operations.

Following temporary relocations, the UN and partners are now exploring ways of redeploying staff to Yemen to support the response.

Humanitarian operations by some 90 organizations are ongoing where possible, mainly through national staff and partners, but these efforts are far from enough given that imports of commercial supplies have also been hampered, increasing the vulnerability of ordinary Yemenis.

The humanitarian coordinator said that the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, which will be revised in the coming weeks, will require additional support for the remainder of 2015 to ensure that the entirety of needs are met and that aid organizations can directly assist all those affected.

"We count on the continued support of all parties to the conflict and the international community to help save and protect lives across Yemen," he said.

Yemen has been mired in political gridlock since 2011 when mass protests forced former President Ali Abdullash Saleh to step down.

The three-year reconciliation talks failed to resolve the crisis but create huge power vacuum that could benefit the powerful al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and other extremist groups.

The Houthis, who have repeatedly clashed with Yemen's central government in the past, began taking control of parts of the capital in September, culminating in the seizure of the presidential palace in January.

Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi later fled house arrest for a southern city. The Houthis continued to grab more territory beyond their northern base. In response, the Saudi-led coalition stepped into the fray, launching airstrikes in late March. Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced a halt to the month-long campaign. Endite