What's happened
Over 17 million Yemenis are experiencing severe food insecurity amid ongoing civil war, with hunger and malnutrition worsening since late 2023. Funding for aid is critically low, and regional conflicts threaten to deepen the crisis. The UN warns that millions of children are at risk of permanent damage.
What's behind the headline?
The worsening hunger crisis in Yemen underscores the fragility of regional stability and the failure of international aid efforts. The UN reports that food insecurity has reached levels not seen since before the 2022 ceasefire, driven by declining funding—only 9% of the $2.5 billion appeal has been received. The escalation of regional conflicts, including attacks in the Red Sea and Israeli airstrikes, complicates efforts to deliver aid and maintain freedom of navigation. The prolonged civil war, now in its 11th year, risks deepening divisions and causing irreversible damage to children’s physical and cognitive development. The international community’s inability to sustain aid funding and political solutions suggests that Yemen’s suffering will likely intensify unless urgent diplomatic and financial actions are taken. The situation highlights the importance of renewed negotiations and increased aid commitments to prevent further catastrophe.
What the papers say
The New Arab reports that over 17 million Yemenis face hunger, with aid funding at just 9% of the required $2.5 billion, and warns of a surge in child malnutrition. The Independent emphasizes the ongoing escalation of regional conflicts, including attacks on vessels and Israeli strikes, which threaten aid delivery and regional stability. AP News highlights the deteriorating health infrastructure, with 70% of medical facilities in Sudan nearly non-operational, and details the broader regional impact of the Sudanese civil war, including displacement and food shortages. These sources collectively illustrate the complex, multi-layered crisis in Yemen and neighboring regions, driven by conflict, funding shortfalls, and regional tensions, with a clear warning that without immediate action, the humanitarian situation will worsen.
How we got here
Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when Houthi rebels seized Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition intervention in 2015. The conflict has devastated the country’s infrastructure, economy, and health systems, creating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Funding for aid has been declining, hampering relief efforts amid regional tensions and ongoing violence.
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The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.
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Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in North-East Africa. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, Libya to the northwest, Chad to the west, the Central African Republic to the southwest, South Sudan to the south, Ethiopia to the southe
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The World Food Programme is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.
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Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is the second-largest Arab sovereign state in the peninsula, occupying 527,970 square kilometres.
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The Rapid Support Forces are Sudanese paramilitary forces operated by the Sudanese Government. The RSF grew out of, and is primarily composed of, the Janjaweed militias which fought on behalf of the Sudanese government during the War in Darfur, killing an