Yemen edges into famine say UN body

23 August 2015

Latest escalation of violence could lead to starvation for one-fifth of population

  • Lack of staple food, access to clean water, and a diminished fuel supply create perfect storm
  • Key port for humanitarian aid entry bombed by Saudi-led military coalition last week

The United Nations World for Food Programme (WFP) has warned that one in five Yemenis could face severe starvation as a result of the ongoing confrontation between warring factions in the country.

The WFP estimates that the number of food insecure people in Yemen is now close to 13 million, including 6 million – almost one-fifth of the country’s population - who are severely food insecure and in urgent need of external assistance.

The conflict-driven convergence between the lack of staple food, access to clean water and a diminished fuel supply have created the dawn of a perfect storm for the most vulnerable Yemeni people, said Ertharin Cousin, WFP executive director, in a statement.

Cousin said the disruption in the country’s commercial food sector has resulted in a significant reduction in food imports, which has in turn triggered inflationary effects for food and other basic commodities. “We are starting to see a double effect of the conflict as even the people who could previously afford to meet their food needs are today unable to buy food,” Cousin explained.

The bombing of the Hodeidah port along Yemen’s Red Sea last week by the Saudi-led military coalition could exacerbate the situation. The port is a key resupply point for commercial goods and aid entering the country during the ongoing conflict. It is also believed to be controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi fighters and allied army units loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The WFP said the recent fighting around major ports will stall the commercial and humanitarian supplies of food and fuel to the country. Shortages of fuel, the WFP added, are not only impacting the food distribution systems from the humanitarian and the private sector but will have a devastating effect on access to clean water, healthcare, electricity and other basic services.

The five-month conflict has claimed more than 4,000 lives, half of them believed to be civilians. Several military personnel from Saudi Arabia and the UAE have also died during the ongoing operations.

The involvement of most GCC states in the Yemen civil war is underwritten primarily by Saudi Arabia, which has openly asserted that it is not prepared to allow Iran-backed Houthi fighters to assume power in a country with which it shares close geographical and political ties.

Meanwhile Iran has urged for an end to the military coalition campaign saying that Riyadh’s policy in Yemen will likely backfire. Iran is proposing a political solution that brings all conflicting parties on the table. An earlier ceasefire deal, brokered by the United Nations, failed to keep warring parties from initiating aggression or undertaking retaliation.

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