77,000 Still Displaced in Saada, UK Donates 1.4 Million
The deal is falling apart. Neither the rebels or the government is withdrawing.
The British government donated US $ 1.4 million to help people displaced by the conflict of Sa’ada, said the World Food program WFP last Thursday.
WFP welcomed a donation from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) of US$1.45 million (£730,000), to help feed thousands of people displaced by the conflict in Sa’ada Governorate in northwestern Yemen. “We are deeply grateful for such a generous contribution, which will allow us to continue our work in support of the displaced people,” said Mohamed El-Kouhene, WFP Representative in Yemen.
The operation which started in September 2007, provides assistance to 77,000 people displaced by conflict in the region. Displaced families left their homes with few resources and many have little or no income to meet their food and other household needs. Many of them live with host families in Sa’ada city or in camps near the city.
The donation is extremely timely as WFP is facing shortfalls in the operation. It comes as a response to an urgent appeal for funds that WFP made last December. “The UK is pleased to be able to help Yemenis in need and support the vital work of WFP, providing food assistance to the people displaced in Sa’ada. We urge all involved to help bring about a rapid resolution to the situation so that those affected can return home and resume their everyday lives,” said Shahid Malik, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development.
source:ReliefWeb
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 22 April 2008, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The UN refugee agency is launching an appeal for nearly US$3 million to provide protection and assistance to an estimated 77,000 people affected by a local conflict in northern Yemen.
UNHCR said funds raised in the supplementary appeal would ensure enhanced support for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees affected by a conflict which erupted in 2004 between a rebel group and government forces in the Sa’adah Governorate.
About half of the displaced people returned to their home villages after the signature of a ceasefire in August 2007. But new displacements took place due to renewed fighting. Despite a peace agreement signed in January 2008, the situation remains volatile. New IDPs continue to arrive in Sa’adah city, including more than 200 families for the past week alone.
Both returnees and IDPs are in need of assistance and protection. In 2008, UNHCR plans to improve their living conditions with the distribution of non-food items, such as blankets, stoves and mattresses, and with a special focus on shelter issues though the provision of tents and reconstruction material and assistance to the construction of mud shelter for 400 vulnerable returnees. This assistance will also help relieve the burden on local communities, which host 90 percent of the IDP population. In the three existing IDP camps in and outside Sa’adah city, UNHCR will continue to provide its expertise in camp management and planning.
In addition, UNHCR will seek to promote the self-sufficiency of IDPs and returnees through training programmes. UNHCR also plans to raise awareness on IDP rights and address the specific problems faced by landless IDPs. The provision of social counselling services and the implementation of projects to prevent sexual-based violence will also contribute to answering the protection challenges identified last year.
