HIGHLIGHTS / KEY PRIORITIES
II. SITUATION UPDATE
The security situation in Sana’a is stable but remains tense. The ceasefire in the neighbourhoods of Hassaba and Hadda continues to hold.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh remains out of country. Government officials are reporting that he will not return from Saudi Arabia pending clearance from his doctor.
On 16 July 2011, the Youth Revolution Council chaired by activist Tawakol Karman declared the formation of a transitional council to manage the affairs of the country. The Government of Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Information has dubbed the move “a coup against constitutional legitimacy.” Some youth groups in Sana’a have yet to respond to the council’s formation, while the Al-Hirak secessionist movement in the south has rejected it outright.
As of 18 July 2011, the total number of Abyan IDPs residing in Aden, Lahj and Abyan governorates was approximately 80,000.
Fuel remains scarce or non-existent in most of the country, though availability has improved slightly in Sana’a. The situation has also improved marginally in Aden, on account of donations made by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the card-based rationing system introduced by the Yemen Petroleum Company.
UNHCR has not yet transferred to Al-Mazrak Camp II the 4,000 urban refugees who were displaced by the fighting in Hassaba. Thus far, only 40 families had been successfully transported. UNHCR is now reassessing its strategy for this caseload. More >>>
