Fuel shortages threaten Yemen relief efforts

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Thursday that dire fuel shortages in Yemen were threatening to bring all relief operations to a halt "within days" and said deliveries must resume immediately.

"Humanitarian operations will end within days unless fuel supplies are restored," Ban said in a statement.

The UN chief called for an "immediate resumption of fuel imports to avoid making the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Yemen even worse."

The World Food Programme (WFP) said earlier that it was halting its food distribution in Yemen due to the severe fuel shortage.

The agency is in urgent need of more than 200,000 liters of fuel to be able to continue distributing food supplies already in its warehouses, stocks that can feed 1.5 million people for one month.

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched an air war on Yemen on March 26 to prevent Shiite Huthi rebels from seizing the entire territory and to restore the authority of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who was forced into exile.

The violence has severely blocked shipments of food, fuel and medicine.

All airports are closed to civilian traffic and naval shipments are being delayed.

Ban repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire and said, short of that, there should be humanitarian pauses in areas affected by the fighting.
Source: AFP