也門混亂或出現人道主義災難

Yemen’s violent conflict has intensified in the run up to a five-day ceasefire scheduled to start on Tuesday as aid experts warn that the war-ravaged country is close to a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

在定於週二開始的爲期5天的停火開始之前，也門的暴力衝突已大大升級。救援專家警告說，這一飽受戰火蹂躪的國家已接近一場“人道主義災難”。

The Saudi-led coalition, which launched an aerial bombing campaign in March to dislodge Houthi rebels who had seized control of the capital, struck the northern city of Saada at the weekend after proposing the ceasefire. Reports also emerged that Saudi warplanes had bombed the Sana’a home of the Houthis’ ally, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who later spoke to news channels outside the damaged building.

今年3月，以沙特爲首的多國聯盟向也門發動了空襲，以趕走已控制也門首都的胡塞(Houthi)叛軍。週末，該同盟轟炸了也門北部城市薩達，並宣佈了將於週二開始停火的消息。還有報道稱，沙特戰機轟炸了胡塞武裝盟友、也門前總統阿卜杜拉•薩利赫(Ali Abdullah Saleh)位於薩那的住宅。薩利赫後來在被這棟被毀壞的建築前，向新聞媒體發表了講話。

In spite of the renewed strikes on the Houthis’ heartland, the group said it would accept “any truce that will service the nation’s welfare”.

儘管胡塞武裝的核心地帶遭遇了新一輪空襲，該組織已表示會接受“任何有利也門國家利益的停火協議”。

But the UN’s humanitarian co-ordinator for Yemen said on Saturday that the “indiscriminate bombing”, which came after a four-hour warning, contravened international humanitarian law.

不過，聯合國也門人道主義協調員約翰內斯•範德庫拉烏(Johannes van der Klaauw)週六表示，在警告四小時就後發動“狂轟濫炸”的行爲，違反了國際人道主義法律。

“Many civilians are effectively trapped in Saada, as they are unable to access transport because of fuel shortages,” Johannes van der Klaauw said in a statement.

他在一份聲明中表示：“由於燃料緊缺導致無法搭乘交通工具，許多市民實際上被困在了薩達。”

A Saudi-led blockade of the country has been in place since late March and has nearly exhausted Yemen’s dwindling supplies of fuel and food.

自3月底以來，沙特已帶頭對也門實施了封鎖。這一舉措令也門日漸減少的燃料及食品供應接近枯竭。

Petrol stations have already run dry in the capital, Sana’a, residents say, while supplies are so scarce in north Yemen that prices have risen as much as tenfold, according to charity Oxfam.

薩那居民表示，該市各加油站的油料早已用光。同時，根據慈善機構樂施會(Oxfam)的說法，由於也門北部物資供應匱乏，當地物價已升至原來的十倍。

Supplies of staples such as rice as well as medicines and other basic goods are also running out and cannot be transported because of fuel shortages, aid officials say, with one government economist estimating that northwest Yemen could run out of basic goods within two weeks.

此外，救援官員表示，大米等主食、藥品及其他基本物資也已耗盡，而燃料短缺則導致這些物資無法運抵當地。一名政府經濟學家估計，也門西北部的基本物資或許會在兩週內耗盡。

Aid workers and government officials also warn that fuel shortages pose a grave threat to Yemen’s water and electricity supplies, as well as to its transport network, amid predictions that the country of 24m people will grind to a halt.

救援人員及政府官員還警告說，除了運輸網絡，燃油緊缺還嚴重威脅到也門的水電供應。同時，多方預計這個2400萬人的國家將陷入停頓。

“The idea that the country will come to a complete standstill is very real,” Mr van der Klaauw told the FT last week.

上週，範德庫拉烏告訴英國《金融時報》：“那種認爲也門將陷入徹底停頓的想法非常現實。”

“It’s very, very alarming — we need to address the humanitarian crisis before it is too late.”

“我們需在一切都已太晚之前，解決這場人道主義危機——這一點非常非常令人擔心。”