75% of Yemen's Population Live Without Water, Sanitation Services

A displaced Yemeni woman in Sanaa carries cans to fill water tanks (EPA)
A displaced Yemeni woman in Sanaa carries cans to fill water tanks (EPA)
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75% of Yemen's Population Live Without Water, Sanitation Services

A displaced Yemeni woman in Sanaa carries cans to fill water tanks (EPA)
A displaced Yemeni woman in Sanaa carries cans to fill water tanks (EPA)

Houthi group continues to obstruct peace efforts and push towards an unprecedented exacerbation of the humanitarian situation, despite warnings of the international relief organizations, which confirmed that three-quarters of the population would have no access to water and sanitation services over the next year.

A joint methodological note on the conditions of water and sanitation services explained how the number of People in Need (PIN) of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) assistance and the WASH Severity Scores for each district in Yemen would be calculated for the 2023 Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO).

The organizations pointed out that Yemen has been the world's worst humanitarian crisis during the past five years, and the humanitarian situation remains critical as the country enters its eighth year of the war.

The humanitarian situation in Yemen remains critical, with economic decline and protracted armed conflict causing many Yemenis to need assistance.

The conflict has further aggravated the country's underlying food insecurity while compromising essential services and infrastructure, including health and education, and significantly damaging the economy and the social fabric.

The joint note stated that Yemen remained the sixth largest internal displacement crisis globally, with an IDP population of over 4.3 million.

In the 2022 HNO, the Yemen WASH Cluster (YWC) reported an increase from 2021 in the number of people in need of support to meet their WASH needs by 16 percent (17.8 million people in need), while the number of people in acute needs increased by 28.7 percent (11.2 million people in acute need).

According to these numbers, less than a quarter of the population has access to safe WASH services.

The note warned that despite these pressing needs, global funding has fallen short of meeting all required budget for WASH by $2.7 billion, stressing the need to identify and prioritize the communities most in need and determining their vulnerabilities and risks.

To understand the WASH needs, risks, and vulnerabilities of the population in Yemen, the 2023 HNO assesses WASH-related indicators across all districts in Yemen.

The YWC has partnered with REACH to produce an analysis of these indicators to determine the number of populations in need, and the severity of needs, by demographic group and geographic location.

The document outlines using indicators and resources for informing the HNO, building these indicators, scaling the severity of needs, and calculating the number of populations in need.



EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
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EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The European Union on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.

"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.


Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

 

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

 

 

 

 


Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.