UN Warns Over 41,000 at Risk of Famine in Yemen’s Abs District

UN Warns Over 41,000 at Risk of Famine in Yemen’s Abs District
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A United Nations report has warned that more than 41,000 people, predominantly displaced individuals and women, face severe risk of famine in the Abs district of Yemen’s Hajjah Governorate due to dwindling humanitarian aid and worsening climate shocks. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) highlighted that the situation in Abs is “critical,” as overlapping crises—including halted food assistance and severe land degradation—have intensified hunger across the district.

The report emphasizes that the humanitarian crisis in Abs reflects the broader plight in Yemen, where funding shortfalls have significantly reduced aid delivery. Many households are forced to adopt extreme coping strategies, such as reducing meal sizes, skipping food, borrowing, or selling assets to secure basic sustenance.

Abs hosts Yemen’s second-largest internally displaced population, mostly women and children, fleeing conflict in Haradh and northern Hajjah. Thousands live in displacement camps and informal settlements with limited access to food and essential services. UNFPA notes that daily life for these families is a continuous struggle against hunger, with many children going to bed hungry and crying.

Since March 2025, over 220,000 displaced people in Abs have been cut off from life-saving emergency aid due to sharp reductions in funding. Although the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), supported by the European Union, has provided emergency food and hygiene kits to approximately 2,000 families, this represents only a fraction of the urgent needs in the area.

The report also cited recent fatalities linked to starvation. In early July, a young displaced girl and an elderly woman both died from hunger in camps controlled by Houthi forces, who have been accused of withholding and selling humanitarian aid meant for the displaced.

UNFPA called for urgent international support to prevent further loss of life, restore aid delivery, and protect vulnerable populations from the escalating humanitarian crisis. Without immediate intervention, thousands more in Abs and surrounding areas remain at heightened risk of famine and malnutrition.