On Thursday 7 December, the European Commission announced that the EU is to mobilise €25 million in emergency humanitarian aid for particularly vulnerable civilian populations in Yemen.
The situation is very serious as the restrictions on humanitarian access and imports, and the armed clashes and bombings in Sanaa over recent days, risk depriving the population of food, water and basic but essential services (given the cholera epidemic and the return of diphtheria after its eradication 25 years ago).
The funding, taken from the ECHO budget (the EU's humanitarian aid and civil protection department), will enable the distribution of food by the World Food Programme (WFP) as well as support to the logistics and transport capacity of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS).
"All parties to the conflict must give priority to protecting civilians and allow humanitarian aid to get to the people. Unless all restrictions on imports of food, fuel and medical supplies are lifted immediately, Yemen will suffer the largest famine in the world in decades", European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides stated. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)