HIGHLIGHTS
OCHA releases 2016 HNO for Yemen, estimates that 21.2 million people require urgent assistance
High levels of food insecurity across the country; at least 6 million people continue to require emergency food assistance
Humanitarian organizations deliver essential relief supplies to conflict affected communities amid growing insecurity
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
On November 23, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released the 2016 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for Yemen. The HNO estimates that 21.2 million people in Yemen, approximately 82 percent of the population, require humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs—an increase of 30 percent since the crisis began in mid-March. More than 19 million people lack adequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and an estimated 14.1 million people are in need of health care support. The HNO also estimates that 12.4 million people live in conflict-affected areas and 2.3 million people are displaced throughout the country—an increase of 1.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) since June.
On November 24, UN Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) Stephen O’Brien issued a statement on Yemen to emphasize the worsening humanitarian situation in the city of Ta’izz and call for safe and unhindered humanitarian access to populations in need. ERC O’Brien reported that intensified fighting since September has besieged an estimated 200,000 civilians who require safe drinking water, food, medical treatment, and other life-saving assistance. The statement also highlighted that civilian neighborhoods, medical facilities, and other sites around the city are continually hit by shelling, and checkpoints are preventing people from moving to safer areas and seeking assistance.
On November 17, President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, along with several Republic of Yemen Government (RoYG) ministers, returned to the city of Aden from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to meet with military personnel and discuss intensified fighting in Ta’izz. President Hadi’s return marked his first visit to Aden since late September.