The United Nations warned on Wednesday that its programmes to fight the coronavirus in war-torn Yemen might have to stop by the end the month unless they get an immediate injection of cash.
The warning comes a day after a UN appeal for countries to fund emergency aid in the Arab world’s poorest nation fell a billion dollars short of what aid agencies needed — USD 2.41 billion — to cover essential activities from June to December.
“This will severely handicap efforts to contain the outbreak, which is already spreading rapidly,” said Hayat Abu Saleh, a spokesperson for the U.N. Officer for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
At least 31 major UN programmes in Yemen, covering essentially every sector, from food to health care and nutrition, were at a “serious risk of significant reduction or closure,” she said.
The coronavirus is threatening to decimate Yemen’s health care system, already ravaged by more than five years of civil war.