OMM Newsroom
Escalating conflict in Yemen has cut off life-saving food assistance to 800,000 people, as insecurity, blocked roads and shifting frontlines severely restrict humanitarian access, the World Food Program (WFP) said Wednesday.
More than 600,000 people in Taiz city, including over 200,000 women and children, are now beyond the agency’s reach, according to a WFP statement.
Food insecurity is particularly severe in Taiz, where 10 of the city’s 16 districts were previously classified at emergency levels. Wheat flour stocks are nearly exhausted, and supplies remaining in markets could soon run out, the agency warned, describing the situation as “alarming.”
“This is the kind of situation that can rapidly spiral into a humanitarian catastrophe if assistance cannot move safely and reach those who need it most,” said El-Khidir Daloum, WFP’s representative in Yemen.
Across Yemen, more than 18 million people face acute food insecurity, while 2.2 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition, including 500,000 who are severely malnourished.
Recent monitoring found that 74% of households in areas accessible to aid workers cannot meet their basic food needs.
WFP also said 72 UN personnel remain detained by Houthi authorities, including 37 of its staff.
The agency warned that assistance would be significantly reduced beginning in November without additional funding. It needs $268 million to sustain food assistance and other humanitarian operations in Yemen through 2027.
