Famine hitting Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen

Ahmed Adel

Famine-like spots are emerging in Yemeni provinces under the control of the Houthi militia, the World Bank (WB) revealed recently.

These spots are especially emerging in the provinces of Hajjah, Amran and Al Jawf, the WB said in its latest report.

It added that this is the first time such spots appear in Yemen in two years.

The WB noted that over 80% of Yemen’s population finds it difficult to have access to food, drinking water and healthcare.

Around 100,000 Yemenis have died due to fighting in their country, the WB said.

It added that an additional 130,000 died in the war-torn state because of the lack of food, healthcare and infrastructure.

These deaths included 3,000 children, the WB said, noting that 45% of children die because of acute malnutrition.

The bank said women and children make up 50% of all victims in the Yemeni conflict and because of deteriorating economic conditions in the country.

Yemen’s GDP is falling by 50%, while 58% of the population lives in abject poverty, the WB said.

Only 19% of all Yemenis lived in abject poverty before the war erupted in Yemen, it said.

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Currently, 24 million people, or 80% of the population, require humanitarian assistance and face significant challenges in accessing food and healthcare.

According to the WB study, 16.2 million Yemenis are still suffering from food insecurity with the re-emergence of hotbeds of famine-like conditions in Yemen, for the first time in two years in Hajjah and Al Jawf, while malnutrition rates are still high among women and children.

Around 1.2 million pregnant women need food and 2.3 million children under the age of five need treatment for acute malnutrition.