Over 700,000 People in Yemen Die of Diseases, Hunger Since 2014 - Houthi Health Ministry

CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2019) The acute humanitarian crisis in Yemen, caused by years-long armed conflict, has carried away over 700,000 lives since 2014, the official spokesman of the Houthi Health Ministry Youssef Hadiri told Sputnik.

According to Hadiri, almost 70 percent of Yemeni population have been affected by the conflict between the rebel Houthi movement and the central government, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, which has been ongoing since 2014.

"As many as 16 million people have been somehow affected by diseases, epidemics, such as cholera and diphtheria, different flu viruses and hunger, caused by the blockade of Yemen. Over 700,000 people have died, as of now," Hadiri said.

Hadiri specified that when he was citing these figures he was also referring to the territories controlled by the Yemeni government. He stressed that the number of people killed by diseases and hunger could be even higher, since not all of the deaths had been officially registered.

Every year acute malnutrition carries away the lives of 80,000 Yemeni children, Hadiri said. According to him, over 2 million Yemeni children aged under five are currently suffering from hunger.

Hadiri also said that almost 2 million women of reproductive age and breastfeeding women were suffering from malnutrition in Yemen and this could affect future generations.