EU Calls Yemen Conflict World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis

Yemen has become the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” the European Union said, demanding the protection of civilians who continue to die in the three-year-old conflict.

An EU statement on Saturday highlighted the Red Sea port city of Hodaida, which recently witnessed a bloody assault that killed at least 55 people and was blamed on airstrikes by the Saudi-Emirati coalition fighting there, Al Jazeera reported.  

“The consecutive airstrikes in the city of Hodaida have once again claimed dozens of lives with many people injured,” the EU statement said.

“This is a tragic reminder that in Yemen the international humanitarian law—in place to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in times of war—continues to be broken on a daily basis.”

Yemeni forces—backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—launched a major operation to retake Hodaida and its strategic seaport from Houthi forces in June.

Hodaida has been under the control of the Houthis since 2014, and was responsible for delivering 70% of Yemen’s imports—mostly humanitarian aid, food and fuel.

More than 121,000 people have fled the city since the start of the offensive, according to a United Nations report.

The EU condemned the bombing of densely populated areas and the destruction of “schools, medical facilities, residential areas, markets, water systems, ports and airports.”

Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014 when the Houthis overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

With logistical support from the US, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have carried out attacks inside Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to reinstate the ousted government of Abu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

At least 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting and more than 22 million are in dire need of assistance.