Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF’s representative in Yemen, said the country is facing humanitarian challenges and is “absolutely in dire need of humanitarian assistance,” Reuters reports.

“We hope that a solution to the political stalemate will come soon, but even if it comes this is not an end to the problems. We cannot emphasize that enough. Forty percent of the population lives below the poverty line and the repercussions of this are just huge,” he said. Cappelaere also highlighted the water situation. “Yemen has faced a water crisis for 15 to 20 years. People have hardly any access,” he said, adding there had been a cholera outbreak in the south where people had been forced to use unsafe water because of fighting (Batha, 6/7).