More than 17 million people in conflict-ridden Yemen are facing hunger, including over one million children under five suffering from “life-threatening acute malnutrition,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council on Wednesday (July 10).
He warned that the crisis, worsening since late 2023, could see hunger affect over 18 million people by September. The number of acutely malnourished children could rise to 1.2 million early next year, leaving many at risk of irreversible physical and cognitive harm.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), more than 17,000 Yemenis are already at the crisis stage or worse of food insecurity.
Fletcher said the UN had not witnessed this level of deprivation since before the 2022 truce. However, global humanitarian funding is falling, resulting in food aid cuts. As of mid-May, the UN’s $2.5 billion humanitarian appeal for Yemen had received only $222 million—just 9%.
Yemen has been in civil war since 2014 when Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, seized the capital Sanaa. The internationally recognized government fled to Saudi Arabia, prompting military intervention by a Saudi-led coalition in 2015. The war has killed more than 150,000 people and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
UN Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg said via video that two recent Houthi attacks on Red Sea vessels and Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s capital and ports are escalating tensions.
The Houthis vow to continue targeting ships until the Gaza war ends. Grundberg stressed the need to safeguard freedom of navigation and warned, “Yemen must not be dragged further into regional crises.”
He reiterated that a military solution is “a dangerous illusion,” and only negotiations offer real hope. He urged both parties to show readiness for peace, including releasing all detainees — a process that has stalled for over a year despite previous agreement.
