United Nations (UN) has warned that Coronavirus pandemic could result in an increase in violence and exacerbate the human rights situation in regions embroiled in conflicts.
Coronavirus pandemic has derailed all ongoing aid programs in war-ravaged regions as donor countries have focused their attention and diverted all resources towards tackling the disease within their borders.
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Richard Gowan, a New York-based UN expert, has expressed apprehension that a significant slash in remittances and subsequent economic impact in many countries will trigger more disorder and conflict.
In March, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, had called for a global ceasefire in countries such as Yemen, Libya, and Syria but all in vain.
Moreover, lockdown restrictions in these countries have been impeding the movement of diplomats, peacekeeping force, and NGOs. As a result, mediation efforts and distribution of desperately needed aid to vulnerable populations have been hampered.
UN relief chief, Mark Lowcock, has urged the world to help resume mediation and aid efforts in Yemen. Coronavirus pandemic has reduced Yemen’s donation by as much as 70% as the Yemenis have lost 50% of their monthly income since April.
Thousands of Yemenis have lost their lives since 2015 in what the UN has termed as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
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Mark added that the Coronavirus outbreak in Yemen is spiraling out of control. Famine has reappeared over the horizon and conflict is escalating by the day. Yemen’s economy has already crippled and most NGOs are broke due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Help Yemen now or watch the country fall into the abyss.
Coronavirus outbreak has devastated the Syrian economy as well. Syria has been fighting a civil war for more than a decade now.
Mark told that the Syrian economy is expected to shrink further by 7% this year due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
The situation in Libya is no different as the nine years old civil war there is still going on unabated.
Mark concluded by revealing that the unemployment rate in these countries has reached 50% this year in comparison to 42% last year which will result in the intensification of violence and conflict.
Its a pretty bleak and depressing picture across the board. The economic fallout is just going to exacerbate conflict in those countries.
