Famine looming in Yemen as food insecurity surges among children, aid workers say
- The report did not address hunger conditions in Houthi-controlled areas due to an apparent lack of access following a rebel crackdown on aid
Famine is looming in four Yemeni districts after instances of hunger have rapidly surged among children in areas controlled by the internationally recognised government, a report by international aid workers said.
All 117 districts in government-controlled areas are expected to suffer from “serious” levels of acute malnutrition. Among them, the four districts – Mawza and Mocha in Taiz province, and Hays and Khawkhah in Hodeida province – are projected to slip into famine between July and October this year, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC.
The report reflects the worsening food insecurity in the poorest Arab nation that plunged into civil war in 2014, when Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north, forcing the government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.
About half of the country’s population – or 18.2 million people – are in need of humanitarian aid this year, according to the United Nations.
The number of acutely malnourished children has increased by 34 per cent compared to last year, the report said. They include more than 18,500 children under five who are projected to be severely malnourished by the end of this year, it said. Additionally, the report found about 223,000 pregnant and lactating women are expected to be malnourished in 2024.
