ICRC head calls for an end to the war, the suffering of the Yemeni people

Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer stressed on Monday the need of the Yemeni people for humanitarian response and emergency interventions.

“There is a rift between the needs of the Yemeni people and the humanitarian response, and this rift is expanding every day,” Maurer said in a press conference held  on the sidelines of his visit to the capital Sana’a, stressing the need to work on addressing the challenges facing humanitarian work in Yemen.

He pointed out that the ICRC is working to provide medical and humanitarian assistance to the war-wounded in more than 50 volatile areas, indicating that half of the health sector in Yemen is not working compared to the situation before the war.

The head of the ICRC touched on the humanitarian interventions carried out by the committee and its vital contribution to alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people.

He called on everyone who has influence in the world to work to stop the war and end the suffering of the Yemeni people, explaining that he will present the reality of the tragic situation that the Yemeni people are living in to the donors as he witnessed it on the ground and urged them to support more to implement the largest possible number of humanitarian projects, especially those related to health and water .

He renewed his demand to have access to all places of detention of prisoners and detainees to guarantee their right to decent treatment, and to meet with representatives of the Red Cross individually.

He added: “The issue of the missing has been raised, and this matter constitutes a tragedy for many families, and we have addressed all parties with our readiness to work on resolving this humanitarian file.”

Maurer confirmed that the committee made a proposal to facilitate the prisoner exchange negotiations procedures, expressing his hope that the executive steps would be entered into as soon as possible.