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Yemen

Yemen: Sa'ada Emergency Situation Report No. 5

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This report was issued by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Yemen. It covers the period from 07 September to 09 September 2009. The next report will be issued on or around 13 September 2009.

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES

- The Yemen Flash Appeal, launched on 2 September for US$23.75 million, has still not received any funding. Some Agencies are using CERF funds to finance their activities.

- Access to Sa'ada continues to be problematic; in Sa'ada town, it has not been possible for Islamic Relief (WFP's cooperating partner) to distribute food due to insecurity.

- Many civilians are still stranded in Sa'ada due to road blockages and continuous clashes, although some are reported to be fleeing by foot on mountain roads (no figures available). IDPs who managed to flee from Sa'ada reported that the journey is risky. Those who can afford it are then taking the Al Jawf road to Sana'a.

- Fighting continues in Harf Sufyan (Amran Governorate) & surrounding areas, although there are no reports of new movements of IDPs from the area. IDPs report that the city is now almost empty.

- The demarcation of the new IDP Khaiwan camp in Amran is now complete, although registration has not yet begun. The Deputy Governor of Amran has agreed to reinforce the camp's security after an incident on 7 September see below).

- No further NFI distributions have taken place in Hajjah/Harad since the last reporting period.

- It was agreed that UNHCR and WFP will take the lead on verifying IDP figures

II. Situation Overview

The humanitarian community is still operating on a planning estimate of 150,000 IDPs from Sa'ada and Amran Governorates, and it was agreed at the last meeting of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Team that UNHCR and WFP will take the lead on verifying IDP registration figures.

Humanitarian access and communication inside Sa'ada governorate continues to be extremely limited largely due to insecurity; landlines in Sa'ada are still down, and mobile phone coverage has been down since the beginning of the conflict. The main roads out of Sa'ada remain closed, leaving many IDPs trapped. Some IDPs have been leaving on foot on the mountain roads, and agencies are exploring alternative transport corridors including through Al Jawf and Saudi Arabia. IDPs from Al Malaheet (in Sa'ada Governorate) that fled to Amran (mostly women and children) arrived traumatized and exhausted, having spent three to five days walking in the desert before reaching the camp in Khaiwan.

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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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