Yemen: WFP Warns Humanitarian Pause Was Too Short (For the Media)

The United Nations World Food Programme is warning that the recent five-day “humanitarian pause” in Yemen was not long enough to reach all those in need of food and other relief supplies, and is appealing for a series of predictable breaks in the conflict to deliver desperately needed aid. While the ceasefire was largely observed in central and northern parts of the country, clashes and insecurity persisted in the South and in Sa’ada in the North. Some districts, where needs are highest, were completely unreachable, with transporters wary of sending trucks. WFP dispatched food for more than 400,000 people in the 120-hour pause, and managed to reach areas that were previously inaccessible, but this was only half the 738,000 people it hoped to reach. Transporters were reluctant to send their trucks to hotspots, where fighting and shelling continued. Text transcript of this video