Yemen hunger crisis deepens as UN expands food aid

The renewed escalation of fighting in Yemen has worsened the food crisis. The World Food Programme (WFP) is stepping up emergency measures to assist tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes.

WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau said the agency had already delivered food and hot meals to about 60,000 people. He said the deepening crisis would create a need for larger-scale assistance.

Fighting displaces tens of thousands

The latest tensions began after the Houthis advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. According to the United Nations, nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the fighting.

More than 120,000 people have been internally displaced in Yemen. Thousands of others have crossed the Red Sea by boat and headed toward Africa for safety.

Skau said the new wave of displacement had further complicated conditions for families that had already suffered from years of conflict. Refugee camps are struggling to accommodate new arrivals and facing shortages of funding and essential services.

Millions face food insecurity in the country

According to the WFP, more than 18 million people in Yemen — about half the population — face acute food insecurity. Some 2.2 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition.

Disruptions at the country’s ports and along other transport routes have made the situation even more fragile. Yemen imports about 90 percent of its food supplies. Problems affecting the operation of ports and airports have a direct impact on food security.

Obstacles hamper delivery of humanitarian aid

The WFP faces serious obstacles in delivering aid in areas controlled by the Houthis. Skau said UN offices in northern Yemen had been occupied, aid equipment confiscated and dozens of UN employees detained.

Humanitarian organizations are also facing severe funding shortages. Skau said the WFP had been forced to scale back some life-saving assistance programs because of insufficient funding.

The WFP acting chief said he would call on governments to provide additional financial support on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The escalation of the conflict has not only deepened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis but also increased pressure on shipping routes across the Red Sea and surrounding waters.