Yemen has food reserves for only 2-4 months, bringing it to the brink of famine as fighting escalates, a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday on return from the country.
Robert Mardini, ICRC regional director for the Middle East, called for the lifting of restrictions on the import and movement of goods and voiced concern at the fate of 500,000 people in the port city of Hodeidah as the conflict moves north up the Red Sea coast.
The “lifeline” of aid moving through Hodeidah and other ports is starting to be cut, Mardini told reporters in Geneva.
“If this happens of course it will add a huge burden on a swathe of the Yemen territory where millions of people live.”
“In terms of reserves, there are reserves for two, three or four months, I don’t know. But there is an urgent need for re-supply, this is what we can say.”
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