Severe food scarcity affects over 17 million individuals in Yemen, with over a million children in danger of starvation, according to the United Nations' report.
In mid-2025, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains dire, with more than 17 million people, nearly half the country's population, currently going hungry [1][3][4]. Among them, over 1 million children under the age of 5 are suffering from life-threatening acute malnutrition. This crisis has been worsening since late 2023 and is projected to intensify further.
The United Nations' humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has warned that the situation could see over 18 million people going hungry by September 2025, with the number of acutely malnourished children rising to 1.2 million early next year [1][2]. This alarming development places many at risk of permanent physical and cognitive damage.
Malnutrition is not limited to children; approximately 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women and 2.3 million children under five are affected [1]. The crisis has been exacerbated by ongoing conflict, economic hardship, blockades, and severe funding shortages. The UN’s humanitarian appeal for Yemen has been drastically underfunded, receiving only 9% of its requested $2.5 billion for 2025 as of mid-May, resulting in cuts and reductions in food aid that remove a vital safety net for the vulnerable population [1][2].
The health system is also under strain with the spread of diseases such as malaria, cholera, and dengue further worsening the humanitarian conditions [5]. While some progress towards reopening vital transport routes offers limited hope, the overall outlook remains very bleak without urgent scaled-up international support and peace efforts [2][4][5].
The war in Yemen, which has been ongoing since 2014, has created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. The United Nations' humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has emphasised the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and stated that Yemen must not be drawn deeper into regional crises that threaten to worsen the already fragile situation in the country [2]. However, recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Israeli airstrikes on the capital and key ports have escalated the conflict [6].
Negotiations, according to Grundberg, offer the best hope to address the complex conflict in Yemen. However, Grundberg expressed concern about the prolonged stagnation of the all-for-all release of conflict-related detainees as an important signal for exploring peaceful avenues [6]. The stakes for Yemen are high, and its future depends on collective efforts to shield it from further suffering [7].
References: [1] https://www.unicef.org/yemen/58082_yemen_emergency_update_2025.html [2] https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2025-05-16/statement-united-nations-humanitarian-chief-mark-lowcock-yemen-security-council [3] https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2025-05-12/statement-un-secretary-general-yemen [4] https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=27059&LangID=E [5] https://www.who.int/emergencies/yemen/sitrep-05-2025.pdf [6] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-says-yemen-must-not-be-drawn-deeper-regional-crises-2025-05-12/ [7] https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2025-05-12/statement-un-secretary-general-yemen
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