IFRC Warns Of Internal Displacement Amid Offensive On Yemen's Al Hudaydah - Migration Lead

Faizan Hashmi Published September 25, 2018 | 05:20 PM

The Yemeni government offensive against Houthis in Al Hudaydah is most likely to result in continued and increased internal displacement of the country's people fleeing the hostilities, Tiziana Bonzon, the migration and displacement lead at the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2018) The Yemeni government offensive against Houthis in Al Hudaydah is most likely to result in continued and increased internal displacement of the country's people fleeing the hostilities, Tiziana Bonzon, the migration and displacement lead at the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), told Sputnik.

Last week, the Saudi-led coalition of Arab states announced the launch of another large-scale military offensive to liberate the embattled Yemeni port city of Al Hudaydah on the Red Sea from Houthi militants, also known as Ansar Allah movement.

"It is important to remember that when you have a crisis of this kind, people first move within the borders of their country.

And when they cross the borders, they tend to stay in the neighboring region, before considering further movements," Bonzon said.

She indicated that the humanitarian efforts on the ground were usually led by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in such conflict areas.

"Usually ICRC leads humanitarian operations in conflict-affected countries and the IFRC supports the National Society of the affected country," Bonzon stated.

The situation in war-torn Yemen deteriorated sharply in June, when the government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive to seize Al Hudaydah, a key port city for humanitarian aid, from Houthi insurgents.