Key facts
- Three-in-four families in parts of Yemen are going hungry due to a surge in fighting.
- Nearly 134,000 people have been displaced by the recent fighting, including an estimated 73,000 children.
- The UN's World Food Programme stated that the insecurity threatens to be devastating for food security.
- More than 2.2 million children under five in Yemen were projected to be acutely malnourished this year.
- At least 15 children have been killed and 14 injured since September 3, according to UNICEF.
New fighting in Yemen has exacerbated an already severe humanitarian crisis, displacing tens of thousands and pushing more families into hunger. The surge in conflict, which began in early September, has redrawn front lines and disrupted essential supplies.
According to the UN's World Food Programme, the escalating insecurity is threatening to be "absolutely devastating for food security." In affected areas, three out of every four families are reportedly going hungry. This comes as more than 2.2 million children under five were already projected to be acutely malnourished this year, with over half a million suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
UNICEF reported that nearly 134,000 people have been forced from their homes, including an estimated 73,000 children. Many displaced families are struggling to find basic necessities like food, clean water, and shelter. Ruqqaya Saeed, a mother of eight, described fleeing her home with nothing and now living in a makeshift camp where her children are falling sick due to poor sanitation and lack of clean water.
The latest round of fighting, which erupted on September 3, has seen the Iran-aligned Houthis seize control of much of Yemen's Red Sea coastline. Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes, and the Houthis have launched drone and missile attacks. The World Health Organization stated that since early August, 838 people have been killed and over 3,600 injured, with a significant portion of casualties occurring since the ground offensive began.