04 December 2017•Update: 04 December 2017
By Fatih Erel
GENEVA
The UN called for an urgent humanitarian pause for Tuesday in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, saying it has become a battleground with people trapped in their homes.
"I call on all parties to the conflict to urgently enable a humanitarian pause on Tuesday 5 December, between 10.00 am and 16.00 pm to allow civilians to leave their homes and seek assistance and protection and to facilitate the movement of aid workers to ensure the continuity of life-saving programmes," Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said in a statement on Monday.
Noting concerns over the continued violence in Sanaa, where armed clashes and airstrikes have continued for days, McGoldrick said dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries have been reported, including civilians.
"The streets of Sanaa city have become battlegrounds and people are trapped in their homes, unable to move out in search of safety and medical care and to access basic supplies such as food, fuel and safe water," he said.
McGoldrick warned the warring sides that the deliberate attacks on civilians, including humanitarian and healthcare personnel, and against civilian and medical infrastructure, are "clear violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes."
Yemen has remained dogged by violence since 2014, when the Houthis and GPC loyalists overran much of the country, including Sanaa.
The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.
