November, 22 2017, 03:45pm EDT
Yemen: Partial Lifting of Blockade Half Measure at Best
In response to today's announcement by the Official Saudi Press Agency that the Saudi-led Coalition will reopen the Hodeidah port and the Sanaa airport to humanitarians on Thursday, November 23, Paolo Cernuschi, Yemen country director at the International Rescue C
NEW YORK
In response to today's announcement by the Official Saudi Press Agency that the Saudi-led Coalition will reopen the Hodeidah port and the Sanaa airport to humanitarians on Thursday, November 23, Paolo Cernuschi, Yemen country director at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said:
"We cannot celebrate this partial easing of access restrictions. Even though tomorrow's reopening of ports to humanitarian traffic will ease the flow of aid, it will still leave the population of Yemen in a worse situation than they were two weeks ago before the blockade started. Humanitarian aid alone cannot meet the needs of Yemenis who are unjustly bearing the brunt of this war. Access by commercial shipments of food and fuel must be resumed immediately, otherwise this action will do little to turn Yemen back from the brink of famine and crisis."
For the IRC's statement on the continued violations of international law due to the blockade of Yemen, please visit:
https://www.rescue.org/press-release/yemen-collective-punishment-must-end-now
The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future.
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