The Situation is Very Bad in Hudaydah, We Try to Help Thousands of Displaced: IOM

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN’s staff in Yemen, is helping thousands of people displaced by heavy fighting around Hodeidah this week.
“We and our partners are working in a difficult environment in the hope of alleviating some of the hardship that people are suffering through the provision of food and non-food items,” said Stefano Bez, an official with the International Organization for Migration in Yemen.
“The situation is very bad and we are doing our best to provide temporary shelter and support for them at the moment.”
Civilian casualties and mass displacement continue to escalate amid heavy fighting that began on 12 June. This has caused additional damage to public services that have affected the water supply, the closure of forced shops, shortages of basic commodities, the complexity of humanitarian deliveries and the closure of a temporary feeding center in Zabid.
The lucky few travel to safety in Sana’a, Aden and Thamar, but the majority of the population has already exhausted its reserves, forcing them to seek protection wherever they may be.
Hodeidah is located in the western part of the country, the main gateway for food and humanitarian assistance to the population on the verge of famine.
Humanitarian organizations fear the closing of the port could lead to more forced displacements of people in a country where 2 million people are already displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance.