The United Nations World Food Programme is scaling up emergency assistance in Yemen as renewed fighting along the Red Sea coast drives displacement and worsens an already acute hunger crisis.
Acting WFP Executive Director Carl Skau said the agency had provided hot meals and food commodities to roughly 60,000 people and was building capacity to reach hundreds of thousands more.
More than 120,000 people have reportedly been displaced by the latest escalation, placing additional pressure on camps and host communities that already lack adequate food, shelter and health services.
WFP data indicate that over 18 million people in Yemen face acute food insecurity, while about 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished.
The country imports around 90 percent of its food, making access through ports, airports and major transport routes essential for both humanitarian operations and commercial supplies.
Relief work remains constrained by insecurity, insufficient funding and restrictions in Houthi-controlled areas, where UN offices and assets have been affected and personnel detained.
Skau’s warning during the UN General Assembly underlined that a larger international response is required to prevent conflict, disrupted trade and funding gaps from pushing more families into hunger.
References
- World Food Programme: official news and statements
- Reuters: WFP ramps up response in Yemen
- The Straits Times: WFP Yemen response and hunger figures