Oxfam reaction to the announcement of the five-day humanitarian pause in air strikes in Yemen

Published: 12th May 2015

With the beginning of the five-day humanitarian pause in air strikes in Yemen, Grace Ommer, Oxfam Country Director in Yemen said:

"A five day break in bombing is not enough to help the people of Yemen. There needs to be an immediate and permanent cease fire by all parties and the de facto blockade needs to be lifted to allow in much needed food and fuel.

"Despite the temporary agreement to allow aid in to Yemen, it is still unclear how this will happen given the increasingly levels of insecurity on the ground.

"There are currently 12 million people without access to sufficient food, clean water, fuel or even basic medical care. As many as 300,000 people have fled their homes. Five days is not enough time to move supplies into and around the country, particularly with fuel supplies dangerously low.  

Contact information

Imad Aoun, Middle East Media Adviser - Yemen Media Lead (acting), +961 71 333459, IAoun@oxfam.org.uk

For updates, please follow @Oxfam. More on our work in Yemen.