UNHCR delivers relief to 56,000 people in Yemen in May and June

GENEVA, July 3 (UNHCR) - The UN refugee agency said on Friday (July 3) that it had managed to continue to deliver humanitarian aid to displaced people in Yemen in May and June despite severe restrictions on access.

"We were able to get basic relief to 56,369 people and plastic sheeting for emergency shelters to a further 7,000 families who have been staying in collective centres," UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a press briefing in Geneva.

He said aid has been going out across eight areas, known as governorates. These comprised Abyan, Aden, Amanat Alasimah, Amran, Hajjah, Hodeida, Sana'a and Taiz.

In all, 84,166 displaced people have received non-food aid since the start of April, about 70 percent of this coming directly from UNHCR and the rest from partners.

"The distributions have come amid a worsening situation in many governorates. Al Hazm, the capital of Al Jawf governorate in the country's north, was hit by airstrikes for three consecutive days in late June causing the evacuation of an estimated 900 families," he said.

In addition, most of the residents of the city's Al Matuma district have now sought safety in Al Maton and Al Masloub districts.

Al Maton was the first district in Al Jawf to receive displaced people from Sa'ada. At present there are an estimated 2,470 internally displaced families there along with an additional 1,400 families from Amran and other governorates.

UNHCR stressed that the humanitarian response for these populations has been severely restricted due to ongoing fighting and the consequent problems with access.

"We are seeking to connect with UNHCR's main operational partners who have networks in Al-Jawf, to provide additional help," Edwards added.

UNHCR repeated its call for unfettered access for and movements of humanitarian workers and supplies so that vital assistance can reach those in need.

Currently there are over one million internally displaced people in Yemen (1,019,762), plus some 244,000 refugees. Overall, it is now estimated that over 21 million people are in need throughout the country.