SHAFAQNA- Last year was long and hard for all people, but especially so for Yemenis, who were already suffering through the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. And as 2020 drew to a close, the country was hit with two final shocks: An attack on Aden airport that killed at least 22 civilians, including aid workers, and chilling new data showing that millions of Yemenis are close to starvation.
The numbers going hungry are expected to worsen in the coming six months. If these projections prove true, 2021 may bring the worst famine the world has seen in decades. But world leaders can still avert that catastrophe, Thenewhumanitarian.org told.
In 2018, famine warnings were last sounded. Now Yemenese are fighting the same problems again, with the addition of COVID-19: Much-needed fuel is being blocked, doctors and teachers are going unpaid, and the UN-coordinated aid response is underfunded. And perhaps worst of all, the violence is increasing.
Those who have jobs are often not paid for them: an estimated half a million doctors, teachers, and other public servants have not received a salary in four years.