Seven of the largest relief organizations operating in Yemen called Tuesday on the international community, including the Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council, to immediately implement a nationwide cessation of hostilities to secure a long-overdue and inclusive peace process.
“It is vital that the peace process considers the needs of civilians, including civil society, including marginalized groups, women and youth and their meaningful representation,” said a joint statement signed by Danish Refugee Council, Médecins du Monde, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, PU-AMI (Première Urgence – Aide Médicale Internationale), Save the Children and War Child UK.
The organizations also called on the international community to protect civilian populations from ongoing violence and ending the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and around civilian properties (houses) and infrastructure, including schools, health facilities and mosques.
Their statement urged refrain from reprisal attacks, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest and detention of civilians, targeting the wounded and the sick, or purposefully destroying civilian infrastructure and services and ease the process for protection programming in line with the principles of the centrality of protection.
“Parties to the conflict should be held accountable for facilitating unimpeded humanitarian access in areas where control has recently shifted. Full facilitation includes honoring sub-agreements previously signed with other authority structures and ensuring that all critical, life-saving support, including protection and mine clearance programming, is allowed to continue without disruption,” the statement added.
According to the seven organizations, renewed hostilities in the Red Sea coast of Yemen threaten to destroy the Stockholm agreement and have a devastating impact on thousands of vulnerable families.
They said that in mid-November, renewed hostilities along the Red Sea coast forced over 25,000 people in the area to flee their homes, seeking safe and dignified shelter.
Their statement pointed out that humanitarian needs in the area are extremely high, particularly in locations of previous frontlines.
The organizations also stressed that in Taiz, humanitarian assistance is forced to move across active frontlines or not at all, exposing humanitarian actors to conflict and delaying aid delivery due to complex and time-consuming permissions.
