130,322 Individuals provided with hygiene kits, relief items & clean water

17,130 Primary health care consultations conducted

6,563 Migrants received humanitarian assistance

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Moving into 2021, after six years of armed conflict, the people of Yemen continue to suffer through the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. The conflict has directly led to more than 233,000 deaths, including more than 3,000 children, since it began, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In January, the conflict continued to exacerbate the vulnerabilities of internally displaced persons (IDPs), migrants and host communities. Civilians are bearing the brunt of devastating impact of renewed hostilities, seeing their homes and community infrastructure damaged, and being forced to flee to safety. Hostilities were mainly concentrated along frontlines in Al Jawf, Al Hodeidah, Ma’rib, Ta’iz,
Abyan, Ibb and Ad Dali’ governorates. Access obstacles were a consistent trend throughout 2020 particularly in the north and continued into January 2021. During the reporting period, staff movements and transportation of relief items for all agencies and international NGOs remained obstructed by permit denials or additional ad hoc bureaucratic requirements often imposed without prior communication. As of January, over 70 NGO projects targeting over 4.7 million people were pending sub-agreement approval by the authorities. In the same month, the United States designated Ansar Allah (AA) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) — the designation was subsequently revoked after the new U.S. administration was sworn in and following advocacy from humanitarian actors that such an action could accelerate Yemen’s slide into large-scale food insecurity and hinder other life-saving activities.

Over 2,500 migrants are estimated to have entered the country in January — many of whom are unable to access basic services are in dire need of food, shelter, health and protection assistance, putting further pressure on host communities and public services. IOM continues to advocate for migrants’ rights in Yemen and provide emergency assistance to those transiting through and stranded in the country. The Organization estimates that thousands of migrants became stranded in Yemen after the imposition of COVID-19 movement restrictions across the Gulf and the Horn of Africa. There is increasing constraints on migrants’ traditional coping mechanisms such as support from the communities hosting them. IOM has so far registered over 6,000 migrants (500 in January) in Aden who wish to return home through the Organization’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme.

By the end of January, the number of reported cases of COVID-19 in Yemen reached 2,117, with 613 fatalities. The full extent of the spread of the virus is still unknown ten months after the announcement of the first positive case, due to limited testing and reporting, particularly in northern governorates.