The severe malnutrition afflicting Yemen’s children, especially in regions controlled by the Saudi-backed government, has drastically accelerated this year, as per a United Nations taskforce stationed in Yemen. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Technical Group, encompassing several UN organisations, reported a 34% surge in children under five suffering from acute malnutrition or wasting, compared to last year. The report identified 120,000 children out of over 600,000 who are dealing with “severe malnutrition”.
The taskforce attributed the sharp increase to a combination of epidemics such as cholera and measles, food scarcity, inadequate access to clean water and economic downturn. Predictions reveal that malnutrition is likely to persist until October across all 117 southern regions detailed in the report. Areas including Hodeidah port on the Red Sea and Taiz in the hills have, for the first time, displayed “extremely critical levels” of acute malnutrition, which affects 30% of the children.
In December 2023, due to funding deficits and disagreements over food allocation reductions with the authorities, the World Food Programme (WFP) halted food distribution in the north, which is dominated by the rebel Houthi group. WFP representative, Pierre Honnorat, warned that if the current deficient humanitarian funding continues, Yemen could slide further into food scarcity, intensifying malnutrition levels.
In their urgent plea, the WFP voiced their concerns that children were the most vulnerable in this food crisis, risking an entire generation to the scourge of malnutrition. Evidences across hospitals in the country show acutely malnourished children battling illness and struggling to breathe. The plea urged that these children didn’t have to succumb to their conditions but merely needed food. UNICEF representative, Peter Hawkins acknowledged the worsening trend as a funding shortage has forced multiple international organisations to downsize their programmes. He stated that this should serve as a reminder of the lives at risk.
Yemen is identified as the most impoverished nation in the Middle East and for over ten years, it has been embroiled in a contentious conflict. The adversaries include the Saudi-backed contingents and the Houthi faction, synonymous with Hamas and Hizbullah, supported by Iran in what is known as the axis of resistance. The majority inhabitants of Yemen reside in the North, under Houthi control. Despite a six-month ceasefire agreement in 2022 bringing down the scale of combats, Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy, testified to the UN Security Council that the ongoing military build-ups and constant warfare threats remain unabated.
Grundberg, referencing skirmishes in over seventy towns and cities, stressed to the council the ever-present volatility of the Yemeni front lines. He further cautioned that Houthi’s assaults on Red Sea trade routes, a strategy to pressure an end to the Israel-Gaza conflict, along with retaliatory actions by the US and UK on Yemeni military installations, posed an unsustainable situation.