The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, has said he is appalled by the suffering he has witnessed in Yemen. On a three-day visit to the country, Mr Maurer has visited areas affected by the ongoing conflict in Sana’a and Aden. He has also held meetings with leading officials.
Speaking from Aden's Mansoura hospital, Mr Maurer said: “I see a lot of seriously wounded people. This is a very serious and catastrophic situation which unfolds here in Aden and much more needs to be done in order to support those victims who suffer each and every day from this conflict."
The compounded effects of intense fighting and import restrictions are having a dramatic impact on health care. Beyond attacks and collateral damage, medicine often cannot get in. Fuel shortages mean equipment doesn’t work.
It is estimated that, since March, nearly 4,000 people have been killed and over 19,000 injured. 1.3 million have been forced to flee their homes.
Since January, the ICRC has helped supply water to more than two million people and provided food and other essentials for more than 100,000 people. It supports health facilities by donating urgent supplies and equipment and by sending in surgical teams specialised in war injuries.
The ICRC has offices in Sana’a, Aden, Saada and Taiz. It employs over 250 staff members in Yemen of which 45 are international staff. It has doubled its operational budget for Yemen in the course of 2015, to 56 million Swiss francs.
Shotlist
Location: Various
Length: 4:48
Format: Mov HD
Sound: English/French
ICRC ref: AV347N2
Date: Various
Copyright: ICRC access all
10 August 2015, Aden
0:00 Destruction – streets of Aden
0:30 Mansoura hospital, Aden
9 August 2015, Sana’a
SOUNDBITE: Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (in English)
3:20 “I see a lot of seriously wounded people. This is a very serious and catastrophic situation which unfolds here in Aden and much more needs to be done in order to support those victims who suffer each and every day from this conflict."
8 August
3:40 President seeing destruction in Sana’a
4:58 END