ReliefWeb

Highlights

• Al Houthi militants seized control of Dharwan village in Hamdan District (Sana’a Governorate) on 16 July. Apart from this incident, conflict-affected areas remained calm this week with limited movements of civilians within Amran City. Several partners report that they intend to resume operations in Amran in the coming days.

• Partner reports indicate that internally displaced persons (IDPs) have begun to return home, although no overall estimate is available. At least four of eleven schools reported to host IDPs have been abandoned as IDPs return, and IDPs in other areas have largely signalled their intention to return soon. However, people perceived to oppose Al Houthis could face difficulty in returning, potentially adding to protracted internal displacement in Yemen.

• Response efforts continue for people in Amran and Sana’a Governorates. In Amran, partners will have provided assistance – mostly cash, food, shelter and WASH – to about 4,000 families by the end of next week. In Sana’a, partners are assisting about 2,700 IDP families this week and next – mostly with food and hygiene. This includes about 900 families who had been displaced before the most recent wave of conflict.

• A measles outbreak has been reported in Arhab District (Sana’a Governorate). The outbreak is not directly related to the conflict in Amran, but partners are concerned that population movements associated with the conflict and upcoming Eid holiday could promote spread of the disease. More data will be available on 27 July.

Situation Overview

Al Houthi militants took control of Dharwan village in Hamdan District (Sana’a Governorate) on 16 July and reportedly destroyed the home of a leading Al Houthi opponent. Besides this incident, the conflict-affected area remained calm over the last week. Al Houthi affiliates remain in de facto control of Amran Governorate, although some local government offices have reportedly resumed work. Local sources continue to report no sign of Al Houthis reducing their presence in Amran.

The precise scale of needs within Amran Governorate remains impossible to verify independently, as partners are in the process of re-establishing presence there. However, it is clear that IDPs have begun to return home. In Hajjah Governorate, an assessment mission found only 75 displaced families – substantially fewer than the 669 that had been reported earlier. Remaining families signalled their intention to return home ahead of the Eid holiday next week. At least 500 people continue to shelter in schools in conflict-affected areas. This represents a significant drop since last week, and partners report that at least four of eleven schools reported to host IDPs are now empty, as people have returned home. Despite this positive sign, partners predict that it will be difficult for some people to return – especially those perceived as opponents of Al Houthis, or those whose homes were severely damaged. Unverified reports estimate that between 200 and 500 homes were damaged in the most recent wave of conflict. Given that population movements remain extremely fluid, the Amran Emergency Cell is no longer using 45,000 people as a working estimate of current displacement. Instead, partners are working on the assumption that returns are likely to increase after one-time assistance programmes in Sana’a have been completed and in preparation for the Eid holiday next week.

Access to Amran remained relatively open for much of last week, although some partners delayed their return to the area following clashes in Dharwan, which sits on the Sana’a-Amran road. Several international partners report that they intend to return to Amran this week to resume operations. On 15 July, Al Houthi affiliates returned four trucks of food to the World Food Programme (WFP) that had been seized in late June and early July, and it appears that stocks on the trucks had not been looted. Al Houthi representatives deny responsibility for the seizure of the trucks, but also prevented them from travelling out of Amranto Sana’a on the grounds that the food assistance should remain in Amran. The Humanitarian Coordinator travelled to Amran this morning and will meet with all stakeholders to promote principled humanitarian action and adherence to the Yemen Humanitarian Country Team’s ground rules for humanitarian operations. The mission will also observe general conditions in Amran and surrounding areas, including the status of humanitarian assets, as well as advocate the quick resumption of aid programmes and preparations to assist vulnerable returnees.

Response efforts continue in Sana’a Governorate, where the Amran Emergency Cell has agreed a one-time, limited assistance package with food, essential items and hygiene kits. About 2,700 IDP families – including nearly 900 families who had been displaced before the latest round of conflict – will receive assistance this week in Sana’a. In Amran, partners report that nearly 4,000 families will receive assistance this week and next, including cash grants to about 2,500 conflict-affected families that will start early next week. Overall, vulnerable, conflict- affected people are still reported to require aid for food, essential goods, health, water, sanitation and hygiene.