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Number of Yemenis forcibly displaced by war alarming: UNHCR

Xinhua, March 9, 2016 Adjust font size:

As the war in Yemen nears the one-year mark, the UN refugee agency revealed Tuesday that some 2,430,173 Yemenis have been forcibly displaced by fighting.

With no political settlement in sight, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) said that the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the war-torn country is of grave concern amid predictions that the already dire situation is only going to get worse.

Increased levels of displacement have been observed in areas where conflict has escalated such as the governorates of Taizz, which has the largest percentage of IDPs (23 percent), Hajjah, Sana'a, Amran and Sa'ada.

Together, these locations account for 68 percent of all people forcibly displaced by conflict since the crisis escalated in late March 2015.

Based on the latest UNHCR and International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, these numbers mask the level of suffering experienced by the country's civilian population.

Many have been forced to flee their homes with no possessions and seek refuge with relatives or friends, in schools, public or abandoned buildings, makeshift dwellings or out in the open with little or no protection.

Compounding the humanitarian situation on the ground is the fact that IDPs often find themselves in areas where basic services and key infrastructures are extremely limited.

Only 2 percent of the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, launched last month and asking for 1.8 billion U.S. dollars to provide life-saving assistance to 13.6 million people, has been funded. Enditem