Key facts
- The World Food Programme is increasing its response to the escalating crisis in Yemen.
- Houthi fighters seized Yemen's Red Sea coast, displacing over 120,000 Yemenis.
- Nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured during the Houthi advance.
- More than 18 million Yemenis face acute food insecurity, with 2.2 million children under 5 acutely malnourished.
- The WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau stated the agency is underfunded and forced to cut back on aid.
- Skau warned that the WFP cannot operate in Houthi-controlled areas due to occupied offices and confiscated assets.
The World Food Programme is intensifying its efforts in Yemen as Houthi fighters advance along the Red Sea coast, displacing tens of thousands and worsening a severe hunger crisis, according to the agency's acting chief. Carl Skau, the WFP Acting Executive Director, stated that the agency is scaling up its support to reach hundreds of thousands more people, having already assisted around 60,000 with food commodities.
Skau, who recently visited Yemen, described the situation in displaced persons camps as "overstretched" with inadequate healthcare and insufficient food. He highlighted that 90% of Yemen's food is imported, making port and airport functionality critical for food security, which is now threatened by the conflict's expansion.
The WFP faces significant operational hurdles in Houthi-controlled areas, where offices are occupied and assets confiscated, hindering the agency's ability to function. Skau also noted that the organization, the largest UN agency by budget, is severely underfunded, forcing cutbacks on life-saving aid. He planned to advocate for increased funding during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.