Peacekeeping and Security
Assessment of the Response to Illicit Weapons Trafficking in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea
The Republic of Yemen has been embroiled in a violent conflict since September 2014 when Houthi forces took military control of the capital city Sana’a and displaced the government of interim President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Yemen’s protracted conflict has claimed at least 377.000 lives most of them civilians and plunged Yemen already the poorest country of the Arabian Peninsula into a complex humanitarian catastrophe. The Houthis appear to have used a lull in the fighting to increase their military arsenals displaying large numbers of sophisticated weapon systems in a series of military parades in Sana’a and Hodeida on the anniversaries of their “revolution” and amongst other holidays in September 2022 and 2023. Following the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in October 2023 these weapons were used to launch attacks on Israeli territory and on commercial ships posing a threat to the vital shipping lines between Suez and the Bab al-Mandab. The continued threats and targeting of civilian vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and the subsequent decision by the United States of America and allied Member States to deploy a naval mission in the Red Sea to protect international shipping ended the period of relative calm and brought the conflict in Yemen back into the international spotlight. The subsequent launch of strikes onto targets inside Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen by the United States and United Kingdom as part of a campaign to counter the attacks on civilian shipping has added further complexity to the situation.
Foreword
Throughout 2023 the war continued to wreak havoc in Ukraine. The killing and injury of thousands of civilians including children the targeting of civilian infrastructure the disruption of livelihoods and vital social services and prolonged displacement have triggered a massive humanitarian and protection crisis. The truth is that one year since we launched the previous Humanitarian Response Plan the situation in the country has become even more extreme. As the war ravages villages and towns close to the front line humanitarian needs in these areas are reaching catastrophic levels. The situation cannot improve unless the war stops.
Foreword by the humanitarian coordinator
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by Russian forces the lives of countless women men and children have been torn apart and so many have needlessly died. The common thread running throughout the year has tragically been one of destruction displacement and suffering from continuous shelling and air strikes. Millions were forced to leave Ukraine and become refugees and millions more have been displaced within the country.
About
This document is consolidated by OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and partners. The Humanitarian Response Plan is a presentation of the coordinated strategic response devised by humanitarian agencies in order to meet the acute needs of people affected by the crisis. It is based on and responds to evidence of needs described in the Humanitarian Needs Overview.
About
This document is consolidated by OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and partners. It provides a shared understanding of the impact of the war on the people of Ukraine including the most pressing humanitarian needs the estimated number of people who need assistance. It also outlines the strategy to ensure adequate and timely life-saving and life-sustaining response and the financial request to make humanitarian operations possible.
Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan 2023
This document is consolidated by OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and partners. The Humanitarian Response Plan is a presentation of the coordinated strategic response devised by humanitarian agencies in order to meet the acute needs of people affected by the crisis. It is based on and responds to evidence of needs described in the Humanitarian Needs Overview.
Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2024
This document is consolidated by OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and partners. It provides a shared understanding of the impact of the war on the people of Ukraine including the most pressing humanitarian needs the estimated number of people who need assistance. It also outlines the strategy to ensure adequate and timely life-saving and life-sustaining response and the financial request to make humanitarian operations possible.