Tag: UN

UN Rights Chief: ‘Annexation is Illegal. Period.’

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On June 26, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, released a statement denouncing Israeli annexation plans. Bachelet, the former president of Chile, voiced a strongly worded opinion on Israeli plans to use an unsigned peace deal as justification to annex 30% of the West Bank.

“Annexation is illegal. Period,” Bachelet stated. “Any annexation. Whether it is 30 percent of the West Bank, or 5 percent. I urge Israel to listen to its own former senior officials and generals, as well as to the multitude of voices around the world, warning it not to proceed along this dangerous path.” Annexation plans would not impact those living in the occupied territories alone, she emphasized.

Disastrous consequences

Bachelet said that “the precise consequences of annexation cannot be predicted, but they are likely to be disastrous for the Palestinians, for Israel itself, and for the wider region.” She recalled a June 23 statement by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who called any form of Israeli annexation “devastating.” Bachelet said, “The Secretary-General of the United Nations has called on the Israeli Government to abandon its annexation plans, and I back that call one hundred percent.”

As UN Commissioner on Human Rights, Bachelet has a mandate to prevent human rights violations and promote international cooperation to ensure respect of human rights. She sees opposing Israeli annexation as part of that mandate as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan “is likely to entrench, perpetuate and further heighten serious human rights violations that have characterized the conflict for decades.”

Threat to human rights

Her statement, published by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), highlighted a likelihood that restrictions on Palestinian rights to freedom of movement would further deteriorate “as Palestinian population centers become enclaves.” The statement emphasized how annexation could ban locals from farming their land and reduce access to education and healthcare.

The OHCHR statement called Israel settlements in the occupied territories “a clear violation of international law” that would “almost certainly expand” should annexation proceed. Even a “modest” form of annexation would “grievously harm the prospect of a two-state solution,” undercut future negotiations, “and perpetuate the serious existing human rights and international humanitarian law violations we witness today.”

Bachelet’s office fears the annexation would lack any legal backing and would create an untenable position for Israeli diplomacy in the future. “The shockwaves of annexation will last for decades, and will be extremely damaging to Israel, as well as to the Palestinians,” Bachelet warned in her statement. “However there is still time to reverse this decision.”

World Struggles to Stand Against Israeli Annexation

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With less than a week until Israeli annexation plans could feasibly commence, countries around the world are expressing very different reactions to Israel’s intended moves. The responses have been varied as global alliances, religious convictions, and economic factors weigh on nations’ willingness to risk conflict with Israel and its powerful ally in Washington.

While few nations have expressed outright support for the clear violation of international law, the rhetoric employed by those in opposition indicates that few are willing to position themselves as “anti-Israeli” or risk the ire of our global hegemon. That annexation would risk the local peace progress is nothing but a statement of simple fact, but most world leaders are reluctant to venture beyond restating this.

The EU

European leaders have received Israel’s annexation plans with much bombastic diplomatic language, but have been reluctant to make any threats if Israel proceeds with its planned violation of international law.

Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, traveled to Israel to discuss the matter, but even before departure had to admit he would offer no practical threat that could provide an incentive for Israel to halt its plans.

Over 1,000 parliamentarians have since signed a letter opposing Israel’s planned annexation, but the letter does little more than express “serious concerns” or highlight the “destabilizing potential” of Israel’s publicly stated intention to break international conventions on warfare, the Charter of the United Nations, and the basic premise of national sovereignty.

The US

In the US wide-spread political support for Israel has led to fragmented partisan splits on the issue. While many politicians have spoken out against annexation, the language used reveals much more concern about implications for Israel’s security than the well being of “annexed” Palestinians.

Their entire concept of an “agreed upon” annexation according to an unsigned peace plan originates from diplomatic novice Jared Kushner’s heavily criticized proposal. Much of the US press has opposed annexation but has done so primarily from a perspective that focuses on Israeli security.

Many have claimed that the annexation plans, and their timing, are a direct Trump ploy to create a new narrative before the US presidential elections in November 2020.

Arab nations

The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League have condemned annexation plans and endorsed the establishment of an independent Palestine. However, other than highlighting the obvious breaches of international law, the Arab world has so far not shown a united front against a possible expansion of Israeli land at the expense of Palestinians.

Only Jordan has posed a clear ultimatum to Israel by threatening war. Jordan is highly dependent on the US and fears its possible retaliation, just like many Arab states, but stands alone in offering a practical disincentive to Israel’s plans. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent the director of the Israeli secret service to Amman last week with a message for Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Whether Israel can force Jordan to renege on its commitment remains to be seen.

Israeli Settlers

People living in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories generally oppose annexation plans. Even though many of these settlements would become part of Israel following annexation, settlers fear the plan does not go far enough and would create momentum for the establishment of a small, fragmented Palestinian state, which they categorically oppose.

Billboards along Israeli highways feature Hebrew slogans urging Netanyahu to “do it right,” calling on him to annex all of what remains of Palestinian land. While annexation of more land than included in the Trump “peace plan” would be controversial, it would be no more illegal than Israel’s current plans.

Palestinians

For Palestinians, especially those living in the occupied territories, annexation is simply an inevitable reality. “These areas are already [as good as] annexed… It’s all in their hands” a farmer in the West Bank told the BBC. But many Palestinians see the looming annexation as the logical next step in the decades-long Israeli encroachment on Palestinian territory.

Israel has intensified evictions of Palestinians in the Jordan Valley and locals see annexation as inevitable. “Everyone is scared about annexation, no one wants to live under the occupation’s law,” Palestinian activist Sami Hureini told Al Jazeera, as locals appear to have no illusions over Israeli intentions.

The UN

On June 24, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres joined in the growing chorus of voices opposing annexation rhetorically. “We are at a watershed moment,” Guterres told the UN Security Council (UNSC), saying, “If implemented, annexation would constitute a most serious violation of international law.”

But the head of the UN is as powerless to stop Israel as those living in the occupied territories. As long as Israel proceeds with the blessing of the US, international law is of little consequence.  The power of the US alone could prevent any strong response against annexation.

The crisis over Israeli annexation has revealed once again that we are all living under American hegemony that in practice can supersede international law, the UN, and the will of the rest of the globe. Underneath political posturing, angry letters, and formal diplomacy, all nations continue to tremble at the prospect of angering the US.

UN: Without International Support, Yemen ‘Will Fall off the Cliff’

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UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, who is also the UN’s under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, pulled no punches when he briefed a closed session of the UN Security Council about the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen on Wednesday night. 

The UN aid chief said five factors have converged to push Yemen, already considered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, towards the precipice of even greater disaster. 

A large and deadly COVID-19 outbreak has added an additional layer of misery for the people of Yemen, already struggling to survive the country’s civil conflict and deepening economic crisis. 

“COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across Yemen. About 25% of Yemenis confirmed to have the disease have died. That’s five times the global average,” Lowcock said. 

Burial prices have reportedly increased seven fold in some areas. Given the country’s dilapidated health system, many believe a significant number of COVID-19 cases are going undiagnosed and unreported. 

Crises extend beyond COVID-19

In addition to the COVID-19 threat, Lowcock said lack of protection for civilians and humanitarian access are plaguing Yemen, as is a major shortfall in aid funding. 

The recent uptick in violence in northern Yemen between the Saudi-backed coalition forces and Houthi rebels, and clashes between the nominal coalition partners the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Yemen government in the South, have been deadly for civilians. 

“In May, an average of five civilians were killed or injured every day,” Lowcock revealed. “One in three of them was a child. Two-thirds of incidents that harmed civilians occurred in family homes or farms, and five incidents struck health facilities.” 

Like protection of civilians, humanitarian access is obligatory under international law but has been hamstrung by COVID-19 measures and uncooperative conflict actors. Aid agencies and international donors like the US cut funding to Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen earlier in the year, but Lowcock said that after significant negotiations, “the environment is improving.” 

Aid operations in the South, where Southern Transitional Council forces recently overtook Socotra Island before parties implemented a tenuous ceasefire, have been impacted by an “increase in ad hoc restrictions, including interference and unnecessary delays in assistance.” 

Funding shortfall 

Lowcock also warned that, if the international donor community does not step up soon, there will be no aid to deliver. He noted the failure of the June 2 joint Saudi-UN donor conference, which only raised half the target amount. He also called out Gulf countries, saying that “reduced pledges from the Gulf region account for essentially all of the reduction.” 

The impact of those cuts is massive: “Water and sanitation programmes that serve 4 million people will start closing in several weeks. About 5 million children will go without routine vaccinations, and by August, we will close down malnutrition programmes. The wider health programme, which 19 million people that benefit from will stop too.”

On top of an already long list of urgent threats, Yemen’s economy is now “heading for an unprecedented calamity,” Lowcock reported. The aid chief said the rapidly depreciating Rial was driving high inflation that in turn has driven up food prices by 10 to 20%, leading to wide-spread food insecurity. In addition to the currency crisis, remittances — a vital source of national income and foreign currency — have dropped by a dramatic 50-70% in the wake of the global economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Lowcock ended his address to the UNSC with the following brutal proposition:  

“There is a stark choice before the world today: support the humanitarian response in Yemen and help to create the space for a sustainable political solution,” he said. “Or watch Yemen fall off the cliff.” 

In a country where 80% of the population, some 24 million people, are already receiving humanitarian assistance, these converging crises are alarming. It is hard to believe that the situation in Yemen could deteriorate further but the reality on the ground is that it is indeed spiralling deeper into crisis every day.  

It remains to be seen if the world will heed Lowcock’s call or if Yemen will become this decade’s Rwanda  — alongside Libya and Syria. 

Read also: Fighting Continues in South Yemen Despite Ceasefire

High-level Turkish Delegation Seeks Increased Cooperation with Libya

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On Wednesday, June 17, Prime Minister Fayez-Sarraj of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) met with high-level representatives from Turkey in Tripoli. The group was the most significant delegation to visit the country since rebel commander Khalifa Haftar launched his offensive on Tripoli in April 2019.

The Turkish delegation included Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak, and Turkish Chief of Intelligence Hakan Fidan. Libyan officials in attendance included Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Siala, the Minister of Interior, Fathi Bashaga, and the Minister of Finance, Faraj Atmari. 

The meeting comes after a period of increased cooperation between the two governments with Turkey seeking to re-establish access to the Libyan market for Turkish businesses. Prior to the conflict in Libya, Turkish companies were dominant in the construction sector. The delegation is reported to have discussed cooperation in banking, infrastructure, and oil. 

One Turkish official suggested that the two countries could cooperate “on every imaginable project.” Turkey’s support for the GNA and aggressive moves to secure contracts for Turkish companies in post-conflict Libya are a source of concern for Libya’s neighbors. The populations of Tunisia and Egypt are particularly dependent on Libya for employment opportunities and cross-border trade.   

Turkish military support 

Turkey has provided significant support to the GNA including supplying them with arms, in contravention of the United Nations arms embargo, and providing Syrian mercenaries. International observers believe thousands of mercenaries, paid $1,500 per month, are in the country and fighting alongside GNA forces. 

In a further sign of the growing closeness between Tripoli and Ankara, Libya Review reports that the GNA has deposited $4 billion in the Central Bank of Turkey with a further $8 billion paid for Turkey’s recent intervention in Libya. 

In addition to the Syrian mercenaries, Turkey has sent 70 Turkish UAV drones to Libya, which cost over $5 million per unit, and hundreds of armored vehicles (KIRPI). 

Conflict continues 

Turkey may be looking to a post-conflict Libya but the conflict, which has been ongoing since the NATO-backed toppling of Muamar Ghaddafi in 2011, continues.

Earlier this month, the GNA was successful in repelling Haftar’s forces from Tripoli after over a year of fighting. Securing the capital was an important victory for the GNA. However, General Haftar’s forces maintained control over much of Libya including the majority of the country’s oil fields. 

The defeat comes amid unconfirmed reports the Russian Wagner Group mercenaries who previously fought alongside Haftar’s forces evacuated from Libya in May. 

On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned of “direct intervention” from Cairo should the GNA’s forces advance on the town of Sirte and instructed the Egyptian military to be ready to carry out operations. Sirte provides strategic access to the Haftar-controlled oil fields. Egypt, along with Russia and the United Arab Emirates, supports General Haftar’s forces. 

Libya responded to el-Sisi’s warnings in a statement that likened his comments to a declaration of war. 

Mediterranean Claims 20 More Migrant Lives Off Tunisian Coast

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The bodies of 20 migrants trying to reach Europe washed up on the Sfax coast on Tuesday, Tunisian Coast Guard officials reported. The Coast Guard, assisted by the Army, are searching for other passengers from the boat which left Tunisia carrying 53 migrants sometime over the weekend of June 6-7 in an attempt to reach Italy. 

“Horrible news coming in from Tunisia,” UNHCR Global Spokesperson for Africa, Middle East and the Mediterranean Charlie Yaxley tweeted in response to the drownings. 

“Severe lack of search and rescue capacity on the central Med[iterranean]. More rescue boats, including NGO boats, save lives,” he stressed.  

Special Envoy of the UNHCR for the Central Mediterranean Situation Vincent Cochetel said he was, “sad for the lives lost and the affected families” of Tunisia’s latest migrant boat tragedy.   

“There are legal alternatives for refugees and migrants in Tunisia. No one should feel so desperate to risk their life. Hope the smugglers will face justice,” Cochetel tweeted on June 9.  

Smugglers Thwarted  

The tragedy may have been much worse, if it were not for Tunisian authorities who thwarted dozens of migrants from attempting to cross the Mediterranean last week and seized over $200,000 cash in from suspected migrant smugglers.  

The Coast Guard prevented 12 people, all Tunisian citizens, from trying to illegally reach Europe last week. They seized two cars, three motorbikes, three boat moats, fuel, and $7,700 in cash during two separate operations at Zahruni and in the governorates of Tunis and Ariana. 

Meanwhile, the Tunisian National Guard stopped four would-be irregular migrants in the Sfax Governorate, where the latest boat capsize took place early on Tuesday. The National Guard also seized $137,000 from three alleged migrant smugglers on June 3. 

One of the men arrested admitted smugglers were receiving between $1,050 to $1,500 for each migrant they could get on a boat to Europe. The total combined cash recovered from illegal migration operations in the last week now stands at $233,300.

Read also: Tunisia: Zero New COVID-19 Cases Reported, Recoveries Up

Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Mine Program “Masam” Works to Make Yemen Safer

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A Saudi Arabia-led land-mine removal program neighboring war-torn Yemen removed 852 deadly explosive devices in the first week of June alone, the initiative reports. Hundreds of innocent Yemenis have been killed and maimed by some of the estimated 1.1 million mines laid by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels during the country’s five-year civil war.  

The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance, known as “Masam,” says it has cleared 168,155 mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices since it began in late June 2018. 

“Masam” says it has an “ironclad determination” to continue its important humanitarian work. Despite making “tremendous progress in its combat against mines” so far, the initiative says it will continue to work towards its goal of a “mine-free Yemen.” 

In addition to posing a threat to Yemenis’ lives and obstructing their movements, the explosive devices have also prevented crucial aid and development assistance from reaching vulnerable populations. 

“Masam” is forging ahead with its lifesaving work at a time when the United Nations programs in Yemen are in doubt after a recent fundraising initiative fell $1 billion short of its target.

The June 2 pledging conference, co-hosted by the United Nations and Saudi Arabia, hoped to raise $2.41 billion but only managed to secure $1.35 billion in urgently-needed funds.  

As a result, many vital UN-run food, health, education, and internally displaced person’s (IDP) programs will have to be wound back or cut, placing lives at risk. Yemen is considered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with approximately 80% of citizens requiring some form of humanitarian protection or assistance, and is now facing dual hunger and COVID-19 crises.  

“Without more money, we face a horrific outcome,” said the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock.

“Yemen needs peace. In the meantime, we must keep people alive,” Lowcock said during the Yemen Conference 2020 last week. 

“We welcome the pledges made today. But this still falls far short of what is needed to alleviate the suffering,” said Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland after the fundraiser.

“Millions of Yemeni people are staring down the double barrel of starvation and a global pandemic,” Egeland stressed. “The money pledged today needs to be disbursed immediately and donors who failed to put their hands in their pockets must step up.”

Read also: Yemen Donor Drives Raise Only Half of Required Funds

Egypt’s Peace Plan for Libya Gains Ground in Arab World

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On Saturday evening, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi fronted the media in Cairo to announce a political solution to the Libyan civil war, dubbed the “Cairo Declaration.” El-Sisi was flanked by Libyan House of Representatives Counselor Aguila Saleh and Libyan National Army (LNA) Chief Khalifa Haftar as he outlined the bold proposal.

“There can be no stability in Libya unless peaceful means to the crisis are found that include the unity and integrity of the national institutions,” el-Sisi said on June 6.

The first step of the plan calls for the implementation of a ceasefire on June 8 and the expulsion of all foreign militia from Libya. It would also see militias disbanded and military authority handed back to the Haftar-led LNA.  

Under el-Sisi’s plan, a transitional government composed of representatives from the country’s three regions would reign for 18 months to stabilize the country, paving the way for elections. Rival, parallel parliaments have been operating in Libya’s east and west for the last five years and the Egyptian plan would see Tripoli and Tobruk reunited.  

“We warn against the insistence of any party on continuing to search for a military solution to the crisis in Libya,” el-Sisi stressed.  

The Egyptian president framed the “Cairo Declaration” as a continuation of the frameworks set out through previous rounds of UN talks, urging the United Nations to lead renewed political discussion in Geneva. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has yet to comment on the proposal.  

The UN-recognized Government of National (GNA) is also yet to comment on the political plan and was not represented at the Cairo summit. The GNA has instead pushed ahead with a military offensive to retake the coastal town of Sirte, south of Tripoli, which Haftar’s forces captured in April. 

Approximately 16, 000 civilians were displaced in 24 hours as fighting in southern Tripoli and Tarhouna intensified on June 5, the UNSMIL Libya reported on June 6. 

Arab world support, Turkish rejection 

Meanwhile, Egypt has been busy gaining regional support for its peace plan. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reached out to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, African Union Chair Moussa Faki, as well as the leaders of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Niger, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS).  

A number of Arab countries have already thrown their support behind the “Cairo Declaration;” in particular, the ceasefire. The governments of Saudi Arabia, the UAE,

Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan welcomed the political plan and encouraged all sides of the Libyan conflict to negotiate a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis.

Turkey, who supports the GNA with militiamen and weapons, rejected the proposal, instead claiming it was Egypt’s support for Haftar that is undermining the political process in Libya.  

“It is not surprising that those who have taken over their administration by a coup support a putschist,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said, referring to el-Sis’s rise to power.  

“Egypt’s years-long military support to putschist Haftar constitutes a clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” Aksoy added.

The spokesman said Turkey will continue to back “the legitimate government in Libya [GNA] and pursue relevant UN resolutions. Its ally and financial backer Qatar is yet to comment on the “Cairo Declaration.”

Read also: US Signals Potential Renewed Involvement in Libya

UN: Libya Truce Talks Imminent

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A surprise statement by the UN late Monday has signaled that Libya’s warring parties have accepted a resumption of talks to establish a ceasefire. Both the Tripoli government (GNA) and the eastern forces led by Khalifa Haftar (LNA) appear to have agreed to the draft agreement that the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) proposed on February 23.

Unexpected ceasefire

The talks will revolve around establishing a sustainable ceasefire agreement but also cover “associated security arrangements,” according to the June 1 statement from the UN mission in Libya.

“UNSMIL emphasizes that the resumption of dialogue constitutes a response by the parties to the desire and calls of the overwhelming majority of Libyans who long for a return to a safe and dignified life as quickly as possible” the statement said. But UNSMIL is remaining cautiously hopeful within Libya’s difficult context.

The statement made sure to emphasize that it “hopes that the response of the parties coincides with the cessation of hostilities and a reduction in the use of incitement and hate speech.” The UN also signaled directly to the foreign powers that continue to interfere in Libya’s conflict, saying “UNSMIL also hopes that all parties, Libyan and international alike, heed the desire of the Libyans to end the fighting.”

Truce amid escalation

The statement came as many expected Libya’s conflict to enter a new escalation as increased aerial firepower was being introduced to its theater of war. Turkish drones, Russian jet-fighters, and even US brigades in neighboring Tunisia were bound to change the nature of the already chaotic conflict.

The Libyan conflict has repeatedly seen both sides either call for or reject appeals for ceasefires depending on which side was “winning” at the time.

For Libyans the statement comes as a welcome surprise as the conflict has evolved from a civil war to a proxy war between several foreign powers who introduce new weaponry and mercenaries to the country, prolonging a war over which Libyans have long lost control.

Continuing talks

The current potential truce has been made possible by the UN peace process in Libya. Both parties had agreed on many points in the first two rounds of Joint Military Commission talks in February, and the UN now hopes to build on that in the next round of negotiations.

In order for the talks to produce a comprehensive and sustainable conclusion, the UN has asked both sides to empower their representatives and commit to respecting the earlier agreed-upon conclusions of the Berlin Conference in February and UN resolutions. One of the UN resolutions the local mission is most eager to emphasize is the arms embargo that both sides and their foreign backers have repeatedly breached.

The first rounds of talks were concluded in Geneva, but in the interest of time, the next round will be done via videoconference as air travel continues to be restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The statement concluded with the UN mission in Libya expressing hope for a “professional, serious and responsible spirit” to build on the first two rounds of negotiations and hopefully produce sustainable peace in Libya.

 

Aid to Yemen Evaporates as COVID-19 Outbreak Rages On

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The UN will partner with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a global pledging conference seeking $2.41 billion to fund COVID-19 food and health aid to Yemen, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The call for funds comes as the UN has been forced to cut approximately 75% of programs in the war-torn Yemen due to obstructions from Ansar Allah rebels, known as Houthis, and lack of funds.  

“Tragically, we do not have enough money to continue this work,” the heads of 17 organizations representing the international humanitarian community said in a statement issued on Thursday. 

“Of 41 major UN programmes in Yemen, more than 30 will close in the next few weeks if we cannot secure additional funds. This means many more people will die,” they warned.  

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) operations are at high risk and some have already been wound back, further reducing services for Yemen’s vulnerable women and children. 

“It’s almost impossible to look a family in the face, to look them in the eyes and say, ‘I’m sorry but the food that you need in order to survive we have to cut in half,’” Resident UN Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande told the Associated Press (AP News) on June 1. 

UNFPA has been forced to suspend reproductive health services in 140 of 180 health care centers, leaving only 40 in operation. The UNFPA says lives have already been lost since the agency wound back services in mid-May. 

A mother named Mariam receiving antenatal care through a UN-funded program died last week after suffering severe blood loss, with no doctor available to assist her. The incident shocked clinic workers who feel powerless now UNFPA support is no longer available.

“The most painful part is that now we are powerless and we cannot do anything about it,” said BaniShamakh center nurse Adel Shuja’a. 

“We are in this poor community that is exhausted from war. The suffering of poor families has increased, and we may lose many of our mothers and children,” he said, noting that the supply of crucial folic and iron supplements has now ceased. 

The Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen have complicated aid delivery, obstructing distribution and failing to allow UN oversight and monitoring aimed at ensuring support gets to the people who need it most. The US cut funding to programs in Houthi-controlled areas earlier this year citing rebel interference, and the UN has investigated its own locally-stationed personnel for corruption and fraud in the past. 

The UN considers Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and in addition to the ongoing war, the country’s minimal and failing public health system is now being stretched to cope with COVID-19. As of June 1, 327 cases and 50 COVID-19 were recorded in the conflict-ravaged nation, but due to lack of testing facilities the numbers could be much higher. 

Read also: Yemen Crisis Escalates as Former Allies Clash Amid Health Crisis 

 

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