Yemen continues to suffer the effects of eight years of civil war, with the majority of its 30 million population dependent on aid.
The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) has said that August 2022 saw the worst deterioration of food security in Yemen over the past four years.
In its latest update on the food situation in the country, the WFP reported a continuing deterioration of food insecurity through August. “Food consumption saw its worst level over the past four years”, it reported.
A survey conducted by the program, which included families from across Yemen, showed that 58 percent of families in areas controlled by the internationally-recognised government in the south and east Yemen, and 51 percent in areas controlled by Houthi forces in the north and west of the country, were not able to access enough food to meet their minimum needs.
The survey showed that at least 40% of the population had insufficient food in 19 governorates.
The WFP feeds 13 million people a month in the country. Yemen’s economy has all but collapsed due to the war, which is in its eighth year. However, in January the WFP was forced to reduce the rations of 8 million people, and in August it had to reduce the amount of aid it delivers to five million others, due to it only collecting one quarter of the US$2 billion required from international donors this year.
The United Nations has complained of a severe lack of funding for humanitarian operations in Yemen, which has reduced aid to millions of people in the country and given warnings of the possibility of increased hunger in the country.
