Director of the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Rashid Khalikov arrived in Sanaa on Saturday on a fact-finding mission, Xinhua quoted official SABA news agency as reporting.
During his four-day stay, Khalikov will tour the camps of people displaced by fighting in northern Yemen. He will also meet with a number of government officials and aid workers who will brief him about the obstacles impeding the delivery of aid to displaced people.
In statements, the UN senior official estimated at 150,000 the number of people displaced due to the fighting between Houthi rebels and governmental forces in northern Yemen.
He warned that the victims and the communities hosting the displaced people are deeply vulnerable, noting that many of them have little or even no means of supporting themselves and that others moved to areas that have little basic infrastructure.
"In my meeting, I hope to discuss how we can better assist tens of thousands of people who are affected by the ongoing conflict", said Khalikov, pointing out that there is a shortage of information about the conditions there.
Assessments show that the most urgent needs are food, water, sanitation, essential domestic items and health care, he said.
On Sept. 2, the United Nations launched a flash appeal seeking 23.5 million U.S. dollars to provide humanitarian relief to people displaced by the recent fighting between Yemeni government forces and armed rebels.
"The civilian population in this part of northern Yemen has suffered from the combined effects of extreme poverty, protracted absence of health facilities, and insecurity for years before this latest crisis. Following the latest wave of displacement, needs are now acute," said John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
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