Yemen’s health system buckles under Saudi led bombardment and blockade

Yemen has ground to a halt and faces a humanitarian catastrophe under the twin pressures of war and blockade, say the United Nations and the Red Cross and other international aid agencies.

The country’s health system is in a state of collapse, with at least 158 medical facilities completely shut down, Unicef has reported, and many more operating with little or no electricity.

After three months of Saudi bombing, and with street fighting between contending Yemeni forces, at least 2800 people have been killed and 12 500 wounded. But away from the direct violence it is the naval blockade imposed by the Saudi led coalition that is hurting the most.

The mostly Saudi and Egyptian warships enforcing the blockade are charged with denying alleged attempts by Iran to deliver arms to the Houthi militia, an armed group of the Shi’ite Zaidi sect that overthrew the government in February. But the blockade has actually turned away 80% of commercial shipping from a country heavily dependent on imports for daily survival.