Due to a protracted civil war and a shortage of money for humanitarian supplies, the chief of the United Nations food organisation has warned that 13 million Yemenis are on the verge of hunger.
Yemen is “in a really catastrophic condition,” David Beasley said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, with more than 40% of the population already reliant on food aid from the World Food Program.
“We’re feeding 13 million people out of a 30 million-strong country, and we’re running out of money,” Beasley said from Sanaa, the capital.
Since the pandemic, more people have been at risk of starving around the world, putting huge strains on the World Food Programme, according to Beasley. He noted that 285 million people throughout the world are now facing starvation, making it more difficult to meet Yemen’s demands.
“We now have twice as many people in need around the world,” Beasley added. “So, what am I going to do for the Yemeni children?” Steal it from Ethiopian children, Afghan children, Nigerian children, and Syrian children? He went on to say, “That’s not right.”
Due to a lack of money, Beasley said his agency was compelled to decrease meals for eight million Yemenis in half.
“We may have to reduce those to zero.” So, what do you think is going to happen? There will be deaths. “It’ll be disastrous,” he predicted.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 811 million people worldwide lack sufficient food, with 45 million people in 43 countries facing famine.
According to Beasley, the WFP requires an additional $9 billion to address the growing demand for food aid around the world.
“With $430 trillion in global wealth today, there should not be a single child dying anywhere on the planet,” he argued.
Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels gained control of the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s northern region, forcing President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s administration to evacuate to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.
In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition, supported by the US, launched the war to restore Hadi and his internationally recognised government to power. Despite a constant air campaign and ground battles, the war has mostly devolved into a stalemate, resulting in a humanitarian disaster. Since then, the United States has withdrawn from the conflict.
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