Yemen’s warring parties urged to enable emergency aid

Yemen’s warring parties have been urged to enable desperately-needed emergency humanitarian assistance for civilians trapped in Taiz.

International Medical Corps issued a call September 1, for relief agencies to be granted “the humanitarian space needed to get emergency aid to civilians” in the country’s third largest city.

According to Chris Skopec, International Medical Corps’ Senior Director for Emergency Preparedness and Response, “to save the lives of those innocent civilians caught up in the fighting, emergency relief organizations operating in Yemen, who practice strict neutrality in the conflict, must be given the space needed to assist those in urgent need.”

The conflict has placed an immense toll on Yemen’s health care system, which is understaffed and under-resourced at a time when the demands on emergency and lifesaving care are increasing by the day.

International Medical Corps focuses on relieving the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. In Taiz, the organisation supports hospitals and clinics, providing clean water and medical supplies.

It also provides mobile medical and nutritional care and distributes emergency supplies to conflict-affected populations from Aden in the south to Sana’a in the north. International Medical Corps is one of the few international humanitarian relief groups still operating in Taiz.