Tearful pleas for Sheffield Council to help crisis in Yemen

  Members of Sheffield Yemeni community made tearful pleas from the public gallery of Sheffield Town Hall as they urged the city to help the humanitarian crisis.
Kaltum Rivers, Green Councillor for Broomhill and Sharrow Vale WardKaltum Rivers, Green Councillor for Broomhill and Sharrow Vale Ward
Kaltum Rivers, Green Councillor for Broomhill and Sharrow Vale Ward

Firth Park councillor Abdul Khayum says the current situation in Yemen is widely regarded as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and the country is on the brink of the world's worst famine for 100 years.

He put a motion before full council asking it to recognise the contribution that the Yemeni community has made to Sheffield through their work, including in the steel industry.

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Some members of the community spoke from the public gallery and were in tears.

Coun Khayum said: 'This council should recognise many Yemenis in Sheffield will have family and friends that are affected by the humanitarian crisis, and support efforts to raise funds for the crisis in Yemen, including the provision of food supplies, clothing, childcare products and medicines, through the support of the wider community.

'The council should support the development of the Sheffield for Humanitarian Aid and Peace project in raising funds and sending aid to areas affected by the humanitarian crisis.'

Sheffield Green Party called for an immediate suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

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Kaltum Rivers, Green Councillor for Broomhill and Sharrow Vale Ward, said: 'The UK Government is contributing to a humanitarian crisis in Yemen through its support for the Saudi regime.'

'It's everyone's business to safeguard children and it's certainly our responsibility to question our Government in their role of the deaths of Yemeni children.'