Unic Press UK: Circa 14 million people in Yemen, or a half the country’s population are facing “pre-famine conditions,” said the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
In a briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday, Mark Lowcock said that health workers are linking a rising number of deaths to food-related factors. He added that an aid agency had estimated at the end of 2017 that 130 children were dying every day from disease and extreme hunger and disease. The current UN assessment revises September’s estimate, he said.
“Only half of health facilities are functioning, and many Yemenis are too poor to access the ones that are open. Unable to reach care, people often die at home. Very few families report these deaths; their stories go unrecorded,” said Lowcock, who is also the Emergency Relief Coordinator.
