UN agencies plead for an end to Yemen blockade or ‘thousands will die’

The heads of three UN agencies issued a fresh plea on Thursday for the Saudi-led military coalition to lift its blockade on Yemen. Without aid shipments, “untold thousands of innocent victims, among them many children, will die,” the heads of the World Food Program, UNICEF and the World Health Organization said. One million children are at risk from a fast-spreading diphtheria outbreak, and even if the blockade is only partially lifted, an additional 3.2 million people will be pushed into hunger, the joint statement said, as cited by Reuters.