Thousands flee al-Qaida fighting in Yemen

(19 Jun 2014) LEAD IN Today marks the UN's World Refugee Day. In Yemen, thousands of people have been forced from their homes as the government offensive to force militants out of their strongholds continues. Those displaced have ended up in camps, claiming they're being neglected by the Yemeni government and international organisations. STORY LINE These children are amongst the thousands of Yemenis forced to flee their homes amid the ongoing unrest. They're staying at a government-run camp in Ataq city, the capital of the central province of Shabwa - around 500 kilometres southeast of Sanaa. Nearly three thousand people are said to have come here. Al-Qaida overran large swaths of territory in southern Yemen in 2011 - taking advantage of political turmoil that forced long-time leader Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. The Yemeni military has pushed back and, over the past few weeks, has stepped up an offensive to rout the fighters from their strongholds. Many families in Shabwa province have been displaced and have fled to neighbouring areas to live with relatives in the countryside. Others have come to this camp. People gather to give their details and to register for donations. Representatives from international aid agencies are coordinating handouts. But those displaced say they're not getting enough help. "Our situation is deteriorating. Since the day we were displaced from the city of Azan until now we have not received anything and nothing was offered to us," says Awad Salem, who's acting as a spokesman for the displaced community. "We can barely get a morsel of food - they give us crusty bread." Yemeni authorities say they are doing their best to deal with the expanding humanitarian crisis. Successive wars in different regions of the country have led to huge numbers of people fleeing their homes. According to the UNHCR, there were more than 306,000 internally displaced people in Yemen - most of them in the northern provinces. Abdel Salaam Ali el-Nowab, Manager of the Office of Refugees and Displaced Persons Affairs at the Yemeni Ministry for Human Rights, says reports suggest that the number from Shabwa province has reached 2,860. He also says that the government has been pro-active with providing enough food for those in need of assistance. "The operational unit for the management of the displaced persons camps sent 1,000 food rations sacks to the camp complete with sugar, oil and wheat, they were sent in the first week before the displaced persons had even left," he says. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...