Acute malnutrition is surging in areas controlled by the Government of Yemen (GoY), with the West Coast reaching "extremely critical" levels for the first time, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in Yemen said on Monday. After nine years of war, Yemen remains one of the world's most severe and protracted humanitarian crises, with an estimated 18.2 million people - more than half the population - in need of assistance and protection.
According to IPC's latest acute malnutrition analysis, the number of children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition, or wasting, in government-controlled areas has increased by 34 percent since last year, affecting more than 600,000 children, including 120,000 children who are severely malnourished.
Yemen, engulfed in protracted conflict and economic collapse, struggles with some of the highest malnutrition rates in the world. Ongoing conflict, economic instability, and recurrent disease outbreaks remain the main drivers of the country's humanitarian crisis.
The dire situation in the country is compounded by ongoing displacement and severe funding shortages. Across Yemen, 4.56 million people have been internally displaced by the conflict. Of these, 80 percent are children and women. Lack of adequate funding continues to undermine efforts to address critical needs across Yemen.
Millions of people are suffering from food insecurity, epidemics, damaged infrastructure and critical economic conditions. In recent weeks, heavy rains and flash floods have hit several governorates in Yemen, damaging homes, farms and public infrastructure. Earlier this month, the number of suspected cholera cases across the country rose to more than 147,000.
“The report confirms an alarming trend of acute malnutrition for children in southern Yemen,” said Peter Hawkins, Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to Yemen, in a statement Sunday.
“To protect the most vulnerable women, girls and boys, an investment in and scale-up of prevention and treatment efforts are more critical than ever.”
The sharp increase is due to the combined effects of disease outbreaks - cholera and measles - high food insecurity, limited access to safe drinking water, and economic decline. In addition, about 223,000 pregnant and lactating women in the same area are acutely malnourished in 2024.
The most severe level of the IPC acute malnutrition classification, extremely critical acute malnutrition (Phase 5), applies to areas where the prevalence of acute malnutrition exceeds 30 percent.
Of particular concern are two districts in the Hodeidah South Lowland and one in the Taiz Lowland, which are classified as Phase 5 in the current period between November 2023 and June 2024. This classification is expected to increase to four districts in the period between July and October 2024, the lean season months when agricultural activity in the country is minimal.
“WFP is currently forced to provide smaller-sized rations and these findings should be a wakeup call that lives are at stake," said Pierre Honnorat, Representative and Country Director for the World Food Progamme (WFP) in Yemen.
"It is critical to step up support to the most vulnerable who could sink deeper into food insecurity and malnutrition if current low levels of humanitarian funding persist.”
Childhood diseases and outbreaks of cholera and measles, coupled with limited access to safe water and sanitation, are driving up acute malnutrition rates in Yemen. Severe food insecurity and poor nutritional practices, including suboptimal breastfeeding practices, further exacerbate the situation for vulnerable children in government-controlled areas.
Although hostilities have subsided, the country's health sector remains at risk of collapse, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly half of the country's health facilities are closed or only partially functional. Only 55 percent of health facilities are operating.
UNICEF, WFP, WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are calling for urgent and sustained international support and immediate action to address the root causes of acute malnutrition by strengthening existing social protection, health, food and water, sanitation and hygiene systems.
At the same time, they say, an end to the nearly decade-long conflict and the restoration of peace are critical to addressing the challenges and building the resilience of the Yemeni people, who have been devastated by the lack of basic services, repeated displacement, and shattered economic and social systems.
The conflict between a Saudi-led coalition of Gulf states and the ousted Government of Yemen against the Ansar Allah movement - also known as the Houthi rebels - escalated in 2015, when Saudi Arabia began airstrikes against Houthi and Houthi-affiliated forces.
While the reduction in armed conflict since April 2022 has led to a decrease in civilian casualties and suffering among communities, the situation remains fragile without a lasting political solution. According to the UN, there are military preparations and reinforcements, accompanied by constant threats of a return to war.
More than two years ago, a six-month ceasefire was announced between Yemen's warring parties. While the UN-brokered ceasefire has not been renewed, there has been a fragile continuation of truce-like conditions. As a result, the level of violence has decreased and progress has been made in political negotiations.
In December 2023, after a series of UN-brokered meetings in Saudi Arabia and Oman, the warring parties in Yemen agreed on key steps to end the devastating civil war. The agreed measures include the implementation of a nationwide ceasefire, the improvement of living conditions in Yemen, and the resumption of an inclusive political process under UN auspices that should lead to a lasting peace in Yemen.
Last week, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, told members of the UN Security Council that he was counting on their full support for his efforts to resume an inclusive, Yemeni-led political transition. He called on the Council to send a consistent message on the importance of a political process and a ceasefire.
“The Middle East is currently holding its breath,” he said, adding that what began in Israel and Gaza last October has drawn in several other countries, including Yemen. The Ansar Allah movement continues to attack ships in the Red Sea, and the United States and the United Kingdom have continued to strike targets in Houthi-controlled areas.
Lisa Doughten, Director of Financing and Partnerships at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), also briefed the Council on Thursday.
“Eight months into the year, our targeted and prioritized humanitarian response plan for 2024 is only 27 percent funded, forcing humanitarians to make difficult decisions about which vulnerable families and communities would receive support,” she said.
Preventing the spread of cholera was one area where additional funds were urgently needed.
“Regrettably, as of the beginning of this month, the number of suspected cases across the country has swelled to more than 147,000 – a substantial increase from that initial estimate,” she added.
Commenting on the deteriorating food security situation in Yemen, she noted that 60 percent of households surveyed across the country now face food insecurity. The rate of severe food deprivation in areas controlled by the Houthi de facto authorities has more than doubled since 2023, while government-controlled areas have also seen a sharp increase.
In another development on Monday, UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres expressed his deep concern for the well-being of United Nations personnel, members of civil society, as well as national and international non-governmental organizations, diplomatic missions and private sector entities, who have been arbitrarily detained by the Houthis for more than two months.
Dozens of men and women, including 13 UN personnel, are still being held by the Houthis in unknown locations. These detentions are in addition to those of UN staff who have been held since 2021 and 2023, respectively.
In a statement issued through his spokesperson, the UN Secretary-General called for their immediate and unconditional release. Guterres also strongly condemned the recent forced entry by the Houthis into the premises of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Sana'a.
On July 29, Ansar Allah closed the OHCHR office in Sana'a and ordered its international staff to leave, then stormed the office on August 3.
“We note that the Houthis handed the office back to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen today. That handover was done today,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said Monday.
“The Secretary-General reiterates that those detained must be treated with full respect for their human rights, and they must be able to contact their families and legal representatives,” he said, adding that the UN and its partners should never be targeted, arrested or detained while carrying out their mandate.
Further information
Full text: Yemen: Acute Malnutrition Situation for November 2023 - June 2024 and Projection for July -October 2024, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, report, released August 19, 2024
https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Yemen_Acute_Food_Malnutrition_Nov2023_Oct2024_Report.pdf
Full text: Deeply Concerned about UN Personnel Detained in Yemen by Houthis, Secretary-General Strongly Condemns Forced Entry into High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Premises, the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, statement, released August 19, 2024
https://press.un.org/en/2024/sgsm22336.doc.htm