Concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen following the intensification of the military offensive on the port city of Hodeida, the EU called on Monday 12 November for full humanitarian access and a political solution to the conflict. The subject will be on the agenda of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Monday 19 November.
"Civilians are caught in crossfire and, once again, are paying the ultimate price for the conflict. Cutting-off access into and from Hodeidah will push even more Yemenis to the brink of starvation”, said the spokeswoman for the European External Action Service (EEAS) in a statement. Stressing that out of a population of 29 million inhabitants "more than 22 million people need assistance and 13 million are in a pre-famine situation", she adds that "it is imperative that basic commodities such as fuel, food and medicines reach the affected populations regardless of the areas where they reside”. The EU also calls for "parties to the conflict [to] facilitate the the safe passage of civilian populations out of the conflict zones".
The EU continues to fully support the efforts of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths for an immediate resumption of political talks and calls on “all sides to engage fully and constructively” to achieve a “lasting political solution to the conflict in Yemen”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)