Yemen situation ‘catastrophic’ as Saudis vow to continue airstrikes

Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombed Yemen on Wednesday despite an announcement by Riyadh that it was ending its campaign of air strikes, while renewed fighting erupted on the ground between rebels and forces loyal to the exiled president. The hostilities illustrated how difficult it will be to find a political solution to a war stirring animosities between rival Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and Iran. Tuesday’s announcement by Riyadh that it would end almost a month of air strikes against the Iranian-allied Houthis drew positive responses from both the White House and Tehran.

The humanitarian situation is nothing short of catastrophic. … The resilience of the Yemenis has eroded to a breaking point.

Robert Mardini, who heads the International Committee of the Red Cross operations in the Middle East

Meanwhile, the Red Cross Wednesday warned of a “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Yemen, where the crisis is countrywide and multifaceted. Robert Mardini, who heads the International Committee of the Red Cross operations in the Middle East, said food supplies were fast depleting, hospitals and health centers were virtually nonfunctional and vital medicines were unavailable. Even with the Houthis reportedly close to a compromise, the rebels have violated enough earlier truces to make it highly unlikely that there will be a comprehensive end to the conflict in the near term. Which means that Yemen’s humanitarian situation — which was tenuous before the conflict escalated — only stands to worsen, as the safety net of external assistance has been cut.

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