Finnish Red Cross to send aid to Yemen

The Finnish Red Cross is donating 100,000 euros from the Disaster Relief Fund to help the victims of the Yemeni Civil War. Money and aid are not enough, however – only respecting the rules of war can turn the situation in Yemen for the better.

The Finnish Red Cross supports the aid in Yemen, where the difficult conflicts are now in their fifth year. Eighty per cent of the residents of Yemen, approximately 22 million people, constantly live in critical conditions without humanitarian basics, such as food, clean water or health care.

Violent battles, attacks on civilian targets and heavy import restrictions have hindered the import of supplies vital to the civilians’ survival and the transportation of the supplies inside the country.

Despite the safety risks, the International Red Cross, together with the Yemen Red Crescent Society, have been able to provide Yemeni people with vital health care and medicine, among other things. In January 2019, the Finnish Red Cross delivered 15,750 blankets to the aid operation with funding from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

– We deliver aid where we can in the current security situation. For example, the support of hospitals and health clinics brings help to people who would otherwise be completely without health care, says Niklas Saxén, humanitarian aid coordinator of the Finnish Red Cross.

Respecting humanitarian rights is essential
The magnitude and depth of the humanitarian situation in Yemen make it exceptional – almost the entire population suffers from serious shortages.

The Finnish Red Cross reminds people that, according to the laws of war, the parties of a conflict must take all possible measures to minimise the effects of the war on civilians and civilian targets. Humanitarian aid organisations’ access to civilians in need must also be allowed, and the safety of aid workers must be guaranteed.

– However, aid workers may only provide temporary relief for some of the population. The most important thing is to find a credible political solution for the violence, so that the people’s situation can be improved, says Saxén.