ICRC and Yemeni Red Crescent provide humanitarian aid in Sa’ada [Archives:2006/953/Local News]

SANA'A, June 6 ) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Yemeni Red Crescent Society this week completed a distribution of aid to the areas of Majz (Al Talh, Bani Mouath, Wal Massoud), Al Safra (Nushur), and the Al Sahar areas in Sa'ada province. Deliveries were made to households affected by fighting between local insurgents and government forces in late 2005 and early 2006.

On the basis of a survey carried-out in April, a team comprised of 3 ICRC and 14 Red Crescent staff members, including four volunteers from the Society's newly established Sa'ada branch, distributed household items (blankets, mattresses, cooking stoves, gas cylinders, kitchen sets, and tarpaulins) to some 400 families whose houses had been damaged or destroyed in the skirmishing. In addition, four healthcare clinics will receive first-aid supplies in the coming days.

The distribution team determined that access to water is a critical area in which help is immediately needed. Preparations are therefore being made to repair water pumps in the area.

This is not the first time that the ICRC and the Yemeni Red Crescent Society have worked together. A year ago they came to the aid of people living in the Marran area of Sa'ada who had been affected by fighting that had occurred the previous year. They distributed water filters and provided materials for the repair of 84 ponds used for water collection that had been damaged in the violence.

International humanitarian law strictly prohibits attacks on civilians not taking a direct part in hostilities. The Geneva Conventions also prohibit the destruction of water supplies, foodstuffs, and other items essential for the survival of civilian populations. The ICRC and the Yemeni Red Crescent are committed to meeting the urgent needs of people in the Sa'ada governorate and the surrounding area.
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