Yemen war makes reaching assistance too dangerous for many

More than 280,000 people have now been displaced by fighting in Yemen and many vulnerable people are unable to access lifesaving relief because it is too dangerous to do so, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.In an alert, the agency said that tens of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers were struggling to survive.It described a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis for more than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen, as “escalating insecurity, economic collapse, depleting resources and severe humanitarian access constraints leave tens of thousands with nowhere to turn”.Despite intensifying conflict between Houthi opposition fighters and Government forces which escalated last month and ended a four-year ceasefire, thousands of people continue to risk dangerous sea crossings from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, said UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh.Access heavily restrictedAid teams are particularly worried about the situation in Kharaz refugee camp in the southwestern governorate of Lahj, close to the front line.The camp shelters around 9,500 refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia in a Government-controlled area. Although no refugee casualties have been verified so ...