Red Cross: Thousands need urgent help in south Yemen

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Wednesday that tens of thousands were in need of urgent help in south Yemen. The southern province of Abyan has been the scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks as Yemeni military forces and allied tribal fighters attempt to wrest control of areas from al-Qaeda-linked militants. "We are extremely concerned about the people trapped inside, and about the dire situation in Ja'ar, Shukra and in nearby areas where fighting is going on," said Eric Marclay, the head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen in a statement. "Our staff were there a few days ago to assess the situation and found serious, urgent needs that, if not met, could lead to the displacement of over 100,000 people. Thousands of people have already fled to safer places," added Marclay. The ICRC, which is a strictly neutral international humanitarian organization, said that food, electricity and fuel were all in short supply in the southern areas affected by the fighting. The Yemeni army announced on Monday a curfew on several main roads in the region until further notice, local media reported. Militants calling themselves Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), who are thought to be linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of parts of Abyan last year, taking advantage of political turmoil in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country and a split in the army. President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi, who took office in February following an internationally backed reconciliation plan, has vowed to combat the radicals, calling it a "religious and national duty."