UN emergency relief coordinator in Yemen

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator arrived in Yemen on Thursday for a three-day visit to address the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.

A week before his visit, Mark Lowcock had said in a UN statement that cessation of hostilities would pave the way towards ending Yemen's crisis.

"Full implementation of all five measures -- a cessation of hostilities, protection of the supply of food and essential goods, support for the economy, increased funding for the response and engagement by the parties with the special envoy to end the conflict -- is essential to prevent potential catastrophe," Lowcock said.

The UN's latest attempt to hold peace talks to end the war in Yemen broke down on September 8 as the delegation from the Houthi rebel group that controls the capital Sana'a did not attend the conference in Geneva, according to Efe news.

In various reports, Unicef has highlighted that the conflict in Yemen made it "a living hell for children" with over 80 per cent of the child population in need of humanitarian assistance.

--IANS

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