A new analysis of the last quarter of this year has shown that 13.5 million people in Yemen face acute food insecurity, including 16,500 people already living in famine conditions. These numbers are likely to increase in the first half of 2021 when more than half of Yemen’s population move into crisis levels of food insecurity. The number of those facing famine could almost triple, according to estimations.
The prolonged conflict has driven food insecurity to extreme levels. More and more people are being uprooted due to intensifying violence in parts of the country as unemployment rates continue to soar. Food prices are increasingly out of the reach for large parts of the population due to the continuous depreciation of the Yemeni Riyal.
At the same time severe humanitarian funding cuts are resulting in the reduction of live-saving food assistance and malnutrition services. All of this has created fertile ground for widespread food insecurity among the Yemeni population.
Today’s analysis indicates that the numbers of people in such emergency food insecurity situation will increase from 3.6 million to 5 million people within the next six months.
Five international organisations, Save the Children, CARE International, Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Norwegian Refugee Council, and Action contre la Faim/Action Against Hunger (ACF) said that there is still time to avert this catastrophic scenario but only if all parties to the conflict immediately implement a nation-wide ceasefire and return to the negotiation table and humanitarian aid is scaled up as soon as possible. In this time of crisis, the international community should immediately step up their financial support before it’s too late.
For media inquiries contact:
Rachel Kent, Senior Press Officer CARE U.S.
rachel.kent@care.org or +1.516.270.8911