UN Warns Yemen Hunger Crisis Is Worsening, Calls for Urgent International Action

UN Warns Yemen Hunger Crisis Is Worsening, Calls for Urgent International Action
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The United Nations has warned that Yemen’s humanitarian situation is deteriorating as hunger continues to rise across the country, saying a lack of funding for relief operations could deepen the crisis and cost more lives in the coming period.

The warning was delivered by Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, during a briefing to the UN Security Council. He said Yemen is facing growing humanitarian challenges amid the continuing conflict and declining resources for aid operations.

Fletcher said hunger levels are rising rapidly. He noted that the proportion of people unable to secure their basic food needs increased in just one month from around half of the population to nearly 60 percent, reflecting the severity of the country’s worsening living conditions.

The UN official warned that if the current situation continues without effective intervention, the hunger crisis will deepen and humanitarian suffering will expand. He said more lives could be lost unless urgent steps are taken to address the crisis.

Fletcher called on the international community and the Security Council to act quickly on three main fronts. He urged efforts to secure the release of 73 UN staff members detained by the Houthis, increase funding for humanitarian operations that have so far received only about 15 percent of required financial support, and back efforts to end the conflict through a comprehensive political settlement led by Yemenis themselves.

Humanitarian organizations continue to warn of the dangerous situation in Yemen, one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Millions of people remain in need of basic assistance, while many depend on humanitarian aid to survive.