Exactly a week after dozens were killed in suspected mortar attacks in Yemen’s Hodeidah city, at least 20 people have died after airstrikes hit a bus in the north of the country. Many of the dead were children travelling in a bus in Sa’ada, Dahian district, near the border with Saudi Arabia.
“This latest airstrike, only a week after the attacks on Hodeidah city, demonstrates a continued disregard for human life and suffering,” said Johan Mooij, CARE International’s Country Director in Yemen. “It is beyond cruel; innocent children’s lives have been lost.”
The civil war in Yemen has lasted over three years, with the UN calling it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Conservative estimates suggest that 10,000 people have died, but the reality is that many thousands more may have lost their lives. Over 22 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, with more than 8 million people already facing the risk of starvation.
“This latest violation of international humanitarian law is another outrage in a war that does not need to be happening,” said Mooij. “The people of Yemen are already facing unimaginable horrors, and CARE strongly urges all parties to the conflict to cease the violence and bring peace to Yemen.”
CARE has worked in Yemen since 1992 and is one of few international aid agencies continuing to deliver humanitarian services under extremely challenging circumstances. CARE is focusing on making sure that people in the hardest-hit and most hard-to-reach areas have access to emergency supplies and assistance with meeting their basic needs.
Media contact:
Mahmoud Shabeeb, mshabeeb@care.org, +962-79-146-39-03, Skype: mahmoud.shabeeb_1 (based in Amman, Jordan)
Nicole Harris, nharris@care.org, 404-735-0871