Turkish humanitarian groups launch campaign for Yemenis

Turkish humanitarian agencies on Thursday launched a joint aid campaign for people in Yemen.

Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), the Turkish Deniz Feneri Association, Confederation of Public Servants Trade Unions (Memur-Sen) and Turkish HAK-IS Trade Union Confederation are part of the campaign.

In the first phase of the campaign, which launched under the banner "Yemen awaits humanity", relief goods worth 200,000 TL ($37,800) were donated to Yemen.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Memur-Sen Chairman Ali Yalçın said two-thirds of the population in Yemen needs help.

He said there is a need to establish a "Yemen peace group" under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take initiative for prevention of humanitarian crisis in the country.

Sait Demir, vice president of IHH, said UN or OIC should take measures to protect people in the region.

Hamit Kunt, Deniz Feneri's Ankara coordinator, said food will be distributed to 500 families next week.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.