ICRC President Issues Urgent Plea to End Saudi War on Yemen

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Al-Thawra Net

President of the international committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer made an urgent appeal to end the Saudi war on Yemen, calling for stopping targeting hospitals, electricity and water plants.

“I am leaving Yemen profoundly concerned for the plight of its people. The cholera outbreak remains alarming. With the rainy season approaching, we expect more than 600,000 cases by the end of the year. This is unprecedented,” ICRC President said

This outbreak is manmade. It is a direct consequence of more than two years of warfare. The health care system has collapsed, with people dying from easily-treatable chronic diseases. Key services like garbage disposal have ceased to function, as I saw all too clearly in Taiz, he added

He said that Yemenis are resilient people, but how much more must they resist? We have seen, in Syria and elsewhere, how two years of conflict turns into six, ten. Yemen’s fate can be different, but I see few signs of hope. The suffering of its people only grows in intensity. I’ve met families forced to make impossible choices about whether to buy bread, water or medicine for their children.

He pointed out that thousands of people have been detained by parties to the conflict, languishing in prison unable to contact their loved ones. Yesterday, some of their families protested outside our offices in Sana’a, demanding answers. Their wellbeing is our priority, but to help them we must be allowed to visit detainees.

I’ve seen for myself this week how war is destroying cities, communities and families, he added

He called for granting the ICRC access to all detainees, stressing the need to respect the laws of war.

“The international community must take an additional step and seek solutions to this huge crisis” Maurer said.

Humanitarian funding is more needed than ever. But the international community must go a step further. It must actively seek out solutions to this enormous crisis, and wield influence over the behavior of warring parties as a matter of urgency, he added

The ICRC has doubled its Yemen budget this year to over USD100 million. We will continue to fight cholera and do all we can to help the most vulnerable people in Yemen. I call on others to step up their efforts and do likewise. The people I met this week in Yemen are counting on us to come to their aid. Let us prove to them that we care about their plight, ICRC President said.

Maurer called on all parties to redouble efforts in this regard, adding that “the Yemeni people depend on our speed to help them”.