- Title: Yemen is world's "worst humanitarian crisis" - WFP
- Date: 6th November 2018
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (NOVEMBER 6, 2018) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS BUILDING U.N. BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP) SPOKESMAN, HERVE VERHOOSEL, SAYING: "An assessment is on the way as we speak. I mean, in this month, in November, we will have the result of that assessment, with the new numbers and all the contact with all the authorities, with WFP (World Food Programme) and other agencies on the way as we're speaking." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WFP SPOKESMAN, HERVE VERHOOSEL, SAYING: "We call that "pre-famine" for the moment. The situation is clearly dramatic. You know that WFP is feeding between 6 and 8 million people every month... 6 to 8 million people! The number is amazing. If that is technically a famine today or not doesn't change anything about the gravity of the situation. That is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world that is the worst food security crisis in the world, something must be done." JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP) SPOKESMAN, HERVE VERHOOSEL, SAYING: "The problem that we have is what we call "kilometre 15", meaning 15 kilometres out of the centre of Hodeidah, where we have the Red Sea silos. Those silos were used by WFP to treat the wheat that we receive there, and there are now some armed people who stop any access to that part of the city, I will say, then we cannot access that part of the city safely, then we are not present there anymore. 42,000 tonnes of cereals are in those silos and that would give us the option to feed 2 million people for one month, then that is a huge amount of cereals." UNITED NATIONS BUILDING
- Embargoed: 20th November 2018 18:25
- Keywords: Yemen famine Yemen humanitarian crisis WFP world food programme starving in Yemen
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: Government/Politics,United Nations
- Reuters ID: LVA00195DCZLZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The United Nations will declare at the end of the month if shortages in Yemen constitute a famine, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday (November 6), but added that whatever the results of its assessment the humanitarian crisis is the worst in the world.
Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries, is locked in a nearly four-year-old war that pits Iran-aligned Houthi rebels against the government backed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the West.
The brutal war has caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis, WFP spokesman Herve Verhoosel told a news briefing in Geneva, and the orgnisation is now feeding 6 to 8 million people a month.
According to the United Nations, 22 million Yemenis are now dependent on aid out of a population of around 25 million. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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