FAST FIGURES
14.4 million people in Yemen are food insecure
At least 2.5 million people are internally displaced
Conflict has led to more than 5,800 deaths, including 2,300 civilians, since mid-March
More than 27,900 people have been injured since mid-March
SITUATION AT A GLANCE
International Medical Corps mobile teams access communities in Taizz City
Peace talks continue amid ceasefire violations
Conflict parties agree to allow additional aid into Taizz
SITUATION UPDATE
International Medical Corps and other humanitarian actors in Yemen are working diligently to reach areas of need in Taizz City while conflict parties are engaged in UN-sponsored peace talks in Switzerland. Conflict parties on both sides agreed to a seven-day cessation of hostilities to coincide with the talks and that began on December 15. Although fighting has continued well into the ceasefire period, relief organizations are utilizing every opportunity to negotiate access and deliver medical care, food, and other assistance. Taizz City has been the front line of fighting for several months, and up to 200,000 people have been besieged in parts of the city without access to aid. Roads in and out of Taizz have largely been closed or dangerous to utilize, with aid deliveries unable to pass through checkpoints for several weeks. However, access negotiations made some progress in late November and early December; for example, the UN World Food Program (WFP) successfully negotiated access into the city to deliver muchneeded food supplies sufficient for 145,000 people for a one-month period.
International Medical Corps’ mobile medical teams were able to enter Salh District, on the eastern side of Taizz City, on December 15, and were the only mobile medical teams to enter the city on the first day of the ceasefire. The mobile teams observed that active fighting and siege conditions persist in much of the city, and the health sector has been hard hit, with hospitals unable to function partially due to the inability to get supplies. Medicines—antibiotics, analgesics, and anti-parasitic medication—and safe drinking water are in short supply.
Mobile teams observed that essential services in Salh do not appear to be functioning, while markets, gas stations, medical centers, and pharmacies appeared closed. Many residents have been displaced from their homes as a result of ongoing fighting and are seeking areas of greater safety. Teams also noted that hostilities were ongoing around Salh while they delivered care. Insecurity and active conflict prevented the mobile teams from reaching Al Qahirah District, while Al Mudhaffar District also remains difficult to access. Mobile teams returned to Salh on December 16 and 17, providing care to internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have sought shelter in schools and other buildings, as well as others. International Medical Corps plans to continue providing assistance in Taizz City as long as mobile teams are able to negotiate access to conflict-affected areas and people in need.
On December 17, the UN announced that conflict parties had reached an agreement during peace talks to allow the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to Taizz City. The UN expects additional aid deliveries to reach Hajja, Sa’ada, and other cities as well.