An escalating conflict between Shiite rebels and Sunni government forces has displaced at least 150,000 people in the northern part of Yemen. Aid agencies are struggling to absorb the stream of civilians as the lack of supplies and internal politics exacerbate the problem.

Also check out a report by The Independent about the five-year-old conflict in Yemen. — JCL

The Associated Press:

Tens of thousands of Yemenis displaced by warfare between the government and Shiite rebels are stranded around the war zone with aid agencies unable to reach them because of the intensified fighting, U.N. officials and rights activists said.

The humanitarian crisis has been worsened by tribes in the region robbing relief convoys as well as heavy rains that have washed away tents in some camps, they said.

Yehia Abdel-Wahab, a 46-year old farmer, told The Associated Press on Thursday that his family and 16 others were living in the open after fleeing the fighting in northern Yemen.

“We are living on handouts from the locals,” he said by telephone, saying he, his mother and his three children have been living for days under a tree in the Batna region about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of San’a and that no aid has reached the area.

“It is getting cold and we are missing many things,” he said. “We are suffering from neglect. We are only getting promises made of air.”

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