The World Food Programme confirmed on Wednesday that escalating fighting in Yemen has cut off life-saving aid to 800,000 people, noting that shifting frontlines, road closures, and increased insecurity have severely limited access to the city of Taiz and other conflict zones.
The UN News Centre quoted the World Food Programme’s Yemen country director, Al-Khadher Daloum, as saying, "We are deeply concerned about the escalating conflict, but even more so about the growing number of people we can no longer reach because of it." Daloum pointed out that many affected families have been displaced multiple times and have incurred high costs just to obtain basic food supplies.
Warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe
The UN official warned that the situation could quickly turn into a humanitarian catastrophe if aid does not reach those in need. The United Nations continues to sound the alarm over the crisis in Yemen, where more than 18 million people face acute food insecurity, including 2.2 million children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition, of whom 500,000 suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.
Deterioration of food security
Recent monitoring by the World Food Programme showed that approximately 75% of households in Yemen were unable to meet their basic food needs, a record high for this year reflecting significant deterioration. The Programme emphasized its need for $268 million to sustain operations through 2027, including emergency food assistance, nutrition programs, and school meals.
Military context
These warnings come as Yemen has witnessed the "Yemen Dawn" military operation since October 5, which has achieved field advances across several axes and seized key points, amid a retreat by the Houthi militia.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
Comments (0)