The number of children suffering from acute malnutrition has increased by 34 percent compared to last year, according to a UN report.
UN experts say acute malnutrition is spreading rapidly in Yemen and famine is looming in four districts.
The most severe cases are along the war-torn country’s Red Sea coast, in areas under government control, according to a report released Sunday by the U.N. Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) technical group on Yemen.
Yemen, already one of the poorest countries on the Arabian Peninsula, has been devastated by years of war between the Saudi-backed government and Iran-allied Houthi rebels.
The conflict, which has been deadlocked for years, has led to an economic collapse and sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The IPC report said malnutrition rates were significantly worsened by a combination of factors, including the spread of diseases such as cholera and measles, lack of nutritious food, lack of drinking water and an overall economic downturn.
The report said the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition had increased by 34 per cent from last year, with more than 18,500 children under five expected to suffer from severe malnutrition by the end of this year. An estimated 223,000 pregnant and lactating women are also expected to suffer from malnutrition by 2024.
It said all 117 districts in government-controlled areas are expected to suffer from “serious” levels of acute malnutrition. Four of them – Mawja and al-Maqa (Mokha) in Taiz province, and Hays and Kawka in Hodeidah province – are expected to face famine between July and October this year.
An area is declared to be in a famine when one in five people or households suffers from severe food shortages that lead to hunger and poverty, ultimately resulting in acute malnutrition and death.
‘Wake up call’
The IPC, a global partnership of 15 UN agencies and humanitarian organizations, stressed the urgent need to increase support and intervention to mitigate the impact of the crisis.
“These results should be a wake-up call that lives are at stake,” said Pierre Honolat, WFP’s Yemen director. “With current humanitarian funding levels low, it is critical to step up support for the most vulnerable who could be pushed further into food insecurity and malnutrition.”
The report does not provide details on the number of deaths from the recent famine or the situation in Houthi-held areas. The rebels have cracked down on UN agencies and aid groups in recent months, detaining dozens of workers.
According to the United Nations, 18.2 million people, half the country’s population, are in need of humanitarian assistance this year.
Houthi forces control most of Yemen’s major cities, including the capital Sanaa, while the Saudi-backed government is based in the southern city of Aden.
A Riyadh-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the government in Sanaa. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt regime and foreign aggression.
The war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, leaving tens of thousands more dead in one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
