ReliefWeb

Situation Overview

During the reporting period, humanitarian partners continued to pre-position life-saving supplies in Al Hudaydah City where a reduction in hostilities since 12 November provided a much-needed respite to the population.

Conflict however did not completely stop; sporadic fighting, shelling and bombardment continued to pose a threat to civilians in Al Hudaydah City and in other parts of the governorate. In Al Hudaydah City, clashes persisted in the east and northeast of the city, particularly around Al Saleh Residential Complex near 50 Street and Kilo 16.

Military activities continued in the coastal districts of Ad Durayhimi, At Tuhayat and Bayt Al Faqiah as well as in Hays District. Airstrikes and shelling hit main roads in At Tuhayat and Zabid districts several times.

The Protection Cluster estimates that there were up to 1,460 civilian casualties in November and that fighting damaged 200 homes, and an unspecified number farms and humanitarian sites.

As part of the Al Hudaydah Response Plan, partners have pre-positioned 15,000 hygiene and transit kits and 8,000 immediate response rations kits in warehouses in the three districts of Al Hudaydah City. They have also pre-positioned 3,750 non-food item (NFI) packages, 500 emergency shelter kits, 1,000 tents and 40,000 food baskets. An additional 15,000 hygiene kits have been pre-positioned in warehouses belonging to the city’s local water and sanitation corporation.

Between 13 and 26 November, Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) partners registered 4,700 displaced families. Overall, partners working across the Al Hudaydah hub area have identified 133,916 displaced families from Al Hudaydah Governorate since June 2018. Of the displaced families, 130,879 have received RRM assistance. The conflict continues to affect humanitarian operations. WFP reports that for the past two months, fighting has prevented its staff from providing food assistance to almost 250,000 people in two conflict-affected districts of Ad Durayhimi District.

The Red Sea Mills have been inaccessible since September, reducing WFP’s milling capacity by 20 per cent across the country; the mills store 51,000 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat, enough to feed 3.7 million people for a month. Despite the situation, WFP continues to do everything it can to deliver assistance across Al Hudaydah Governorate. In October, it provided general food assistance to over 300,000 people in the governorate, including over 66,000 people in Al Hudaydah City.

The value of the Yemeni Rial in Al Hudaydah City increased significantly during the reporting period, with exchange rates reaching 390YER/USD, up from 665YER/US$. No major changes in the price of basic food commodities were observed in local markets. Fuel prices reduced slightly with one litre of petrol selling at 500YER, down from 575YER.

Al Hudaydah and Saleef sea ports continued to operate but the number of vessels berthing at the ports over recent weeks has declined. According to WFP, operations at Al Hudaydah port have decreased by 47 per cent in the two weeks to 20 November. In addition, as a result of ongoing fighting, fewer port staff are reporting for work for safety and security reasons, further decreasing the capacity of the port.

Humanitarian Response

To help the displaced through the winter, the Yemen Humanitarian Fund has launched an allocation to provide winterisation assistance for people affected by the Al Hudaydah crisis. The allocation targets 15,000 IDP families from Al Hudaydah Governorate, with each family receiving a one-off US$230 grant. Funding of almost US$4 million has been provided to four projects – implemented by a UN agency, a national NGO, an international NGO and the Red Crescent Society – that will cover nine governorates and reach 105,700 people.

A three-day polio vaccination campaign supported by WHO and UNICEF was launched in all four governorates in Al Hudaydah hub on 26 November targeting all children under age 5. Ahead of the campaign, UNICEF appealed for a cessation of hostilities in all active-conflict districts in Al Hudaydah Governorate: Ad Durahyimi, Bayt Al Faqiah, At Tuhayat, Al Kawkhah, Al Hays, Al Garrahi, Al Hali, Al Mina, Al Hawak and Zabid.