Humanitarians Rush to Aid People Displaced by Fighting in Yemen
Marib – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its partners are scaling up humanitarian assistance in Yemen where fighting has displaced over 14,000 people to Marib and Al Jawf governorates.
More than 3,000 people have received emergency kits, containing food rations, clothing and solar lights, from IOM and its partners through the inter-agency Rapid Response Mechanism. Each of the 500 families is also receiving a one-time emergency cash transfer from IOM.
At least 12,000 people of the total displaced have fled to Marib, a governorate hosting hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, straining the capacity of the local government to respond.
Families already living in displacement sites have been forced to move to new locations with fewer services. More than 1,250 displaced families are reported to have left Al-Khaniq camp alone.
“We are suffering the bitterness of displacement for the second time,” says Milhah, a woman who lived in Al-Khaniq camp for four years before fleeing to Marib city with her entire family. “The situation here is awful. It is really difficult to find housing, it’s overcrowded everywhere.”
Many people like Milhah’s family are sleeping in the open with no protection against winter conditions. Safe shelters, essential aid items, emergency health care, clean water and safe sanitation are among the other urgent and critical needs of the displaced community.
The newly displaced families are dispersed across dozens of sites and temporary accommodation with host families. To help people shelter together and more easily receive critical and life-saving services, IOM is working with the local authorities to identify land for a new transit site while supporting the expansion and improvement of existing camps. The Organization is also supporting efforts to provide shelter materials, health care and access to clean water and safe sanitation.
Last year, IOM established its office in Marib to support a community struggling with mass internal displacement. As the current escalation continues to affect vulnerable Yemeni communities, IOM will keep working with partners to meet the most critical needs.
For more information, please contact Olivia Headon, IOM Yemen, Tel: +967730552233, Email: oheadon@iom.int