The UN has said more aid is required to meet the urgent needs of the displaced families in south Yemen after the latest war with Al-Qaeda militants forced about 40,000 more families to flee in two months.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva said $87 million in additional aid is required to help about 320,000 IDPs in south Yemen over the next six months.
Throughout the past two months, 40,000 more families fled Abyan due to the offensive on the militants; and they and those who fled Abyan since the army started to fight Al-Qaeda last year are in urgent need for help, the office said.
This year, some countries have pledged aid to the IDPs in Yemen where conflicts have displaced more than half a million in the south and the north in recent years. Yemen also hosts more than one million African refugees.
The war has largely affected the infrastructure and basic services deepening the situation in Abyan, the office added.
In the meantime, removing landmines and unexploded devices must be given a maximum priority since it is a key factor to help the displaced to come back and to return the situation to normal, it said.
Many families have returned to their homes in Abyan so far including those in Jaar, the strategic city which was seized by Al-Qaeda last year. Many others including those who fled Zinjibar, the capital, have been urged to wait until all landmines are removed and basic services are restored.
Scores of civilians and soldiers have been killed in landmine explosions in several parts of Abyan since the victory on the militants last month.
The Yemeni army drove Al-Qaeda militants out of their strongholds in Abyan and Shabwa province with direct support from the US and tribal fighters. An extensive hunt is ongoing for the remaining militants, who escaped from Abyan and Shabwa, and sleeper cells across the republic.