World Calls To Spare Yemen's Al Hudaydah Must Be Honored Amid Renewed Violence - UNICEF

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) The calls of the international community to keep the Yemeni port city of Al Hudaydah safe must be respected amid the latest escalation of violence, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in statement on Friday.

"Renewed violence in Hodeida is yet another blow to peace efforts in Yemen, a country sliding further into chaos and misery. Escalating hostilities are putting thousands of children living in and around the area at imminent risk of injury or death. Airstrikes and ground fighting could also lead to new waves of displacement and interruptions to the supply of safe drinking water," Fore said. "The world has issued loud and clear appeals for the port to be spared. These calls must be honored."

Fore explained that access to vital goods and services is already severely limited across Yemen, and the impact of more violence could be catastrophic because Al Hudaydah is a vital point of entry for humanitarian supplies.

"The lives of tens of thousands of children are at stake," Fore added. "It is not too late to go back to the negotiating table and rally behind the UN Special Envoy's peace efforts."

The situation in the war-torn country has deteriorated sharply since June, when the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive to seize Al Hudaydah, a key port city, from the Houthi rebels.

Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces led by president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels for several years. The Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf nations has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.