Oxfam America: Aid groups in Yemen push for USAID to pause its program suspension
“Imminent threat of COVID-19, ongoing war, and [a] fragile health system raise worries for people caught up in conflict. Two weeks after the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) suspended aid programs in northern Yemen, humanitarian groups are renewing their call for it to reconsider its decision. Since the U.S. decision, there is now a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country. Yemen Relief & Reconstruction Foundation, Yemeni Alliance Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council, and Oxfam are collectively urging USAID to pause its aid suspension to ensure Yemen has all possible resources to prevent and respond to COVID-19. Without urgent and sweeping action, the aid groups warn that COVID-19 could quickly spread and overwhelm Yemen’s fragile health system…” (4/15).