Yemen: Houthis declare emergency over cholera outbreak

SANAA

The Houthi administration on Sunday declared a state of emergency after hike in cholera cases in regions it controls, said an official.

Taha al-Mutawakkil, the health minister of the Houthi-run administration in Sanaa, said the emergency aimed to combat the epidemic cholera, according to the local Saba news agency.

On Saturday, the administration closed canteens at all schools in Sanaa to tackle the bacterial disease that can be fatal if not treated immediately.

Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014 when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen in hopes of rolling back Houthi gains.

The violence has destroyed much of Yemen’s basic infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times.

Writing by Zehra Nur Duz