ReliefWeb

HIGHLIGHTS

• September was the deadliest month for civilians in Yemen

• The humanitarian operation reached millions more than in 2018

• The Yemen Humanitarian Fund supports programmes at risk of shutting down

• Access restrictions prevent humanitarians from reaching people in need

• Fuel shortages impact the water and sanitation sector

September was the deadliest month in 2019 for civilians

September 2019 was one of the deadliest months in Yemen with scores of civilians killed in attacks - with reports of 388 killed or injured due to conflict across the country - equivalent to an average of 13 people every day. On 23-24 September, 22 civilians were killed in two separate air strikes. The first incident occurred on 23 September in Al Sawad, in Amran Governorate when strikes hit a mosque, killing seven civilians, including women and children from the same family. The next day, 15 civilians were killed and 15 more were injured when airstrikes hit a house in the Al Fakhir area in Al Dhalere Governorate. In the same period, air strikes damaged a UN-supported water system serving 12,000 people. This was the fourth time the facility was hit since 2016.

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Ms. Lise Grande, called the attacks "deeply disturbing" particularly as they occurred against the backdrop of the UN General Assembly, "when world leaders were coming together to advance peace and security."

In September, in a briefing to the Security Council, on the humanitarian situation in Yemen the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, stated that there is "a persistent pattern of attacks in Yemen that kill and injure civilians, or damage critical civilian infrastructure" and called for respect for international humanitarian law. In particular, he urged all parties to the Yemen conflict to ensure respect for civilians and civilian infrastructure and to take constant care to spare them throughout military operations.