Yemen: Local ceasefires are a rare chance to save lives

Despite a recent five-day ceasefire brokered by parties amidst Operation Decisive Storm, hostilities continue unabated across Yemen. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence. The humanitarian situation has worsened in the governorates of Sa'ada, Sana'a, Taiz and Aden, with continued fighting causing an influx of wounded at local hospitals and the displacement of civilians faced with growing insecurity and a rapidly disintegrating economy.

"Amidst incessant fighting, civilians are under more and more pressure every day due to violence, lack of electricity and fuel shortages," said the head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen, Antoine Grand. "However, local ICRC-brokered ceasefires have allowed joint ICRC- Yemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS) teams to provide emergency aid to people trapped in and around battlefields."

Following ICRC interventions with parties, YRCS volunteers retrieve dead bodies and return them to family members for proper burial. These ceasefires also allow civilians to access healthcare which is often not possible otherwise.

"Proximity to the victims and face-to-face engagement with all parties on critical humanitarian issues has been and will remain our priority," said Mr Grand. "A strict adherence to our principles of independence, neutrality and impartiality is key to ensure our access to all victims of this conflict across front lines."

The ICRC maintains an active dialogue with all parties to the conflict inside and, outside, Yemen, to remind them of their obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including medical personnel and facilities. The urgent need for greater, safe and unimpeded access for ICRC and YRCS teams working in areas directly affected by the conflict is also discussed on a daily basis with all parties.

Despite the intensity of the conflict and the deterioration of the security environment over the last two months, the ICRC and YRCS have provided food, clean water, healthcare and other essential humanitarian services to more than 720,000 people across Yemen.

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For further information, please contact:

Shahin Ammane, ICRC Sana'a, tel: +967 737 503 716
Sitara Jabeen, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 24 78 or +41 79 536 92 31