The brutal Saudi military aggression against Yemen continues to claim innocent victims.
A new United Nations report says nearly 20 million Yemenis are going hungry, setting a new record since the start of the devastating Saudi-led war against Yemen.
“More than 19 million people are going hungry, including more than 160,000 on the brink of famine,” said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha). “Funding cuts are hampering our ability to help people in need.”
The office said the World Food Program (Wfp) reduced food rations for eight million people in December due to lack of funding and had to introduce another round of cuts last month. About five million people are receiving less than half of their daily requirements and eight million will receive less than a third of their daily requirements, Xinhua reported.
More than eight million women and children need nutritional aid, including more than 500,000 severely malnourished children, Ocha said. More funding cuts loom as of Friday.
The humanitarian office said the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) reported that it may have to discontinue treatment next month for more than 50 thousand severely malnourished children. In addition, the agency will suspend its work on drinking water and sanitation for up to 3.6 million people in July and cut its mining risk education activities in half.
Ocha said the reduction in mine education exposes two million children and their families to an increased risk of mine-related injury and death. Unicef also said it will suspend maternal and child health support in July, which helps about 2.5 million children and 100,000 women.
There are more than four million internally displaced people in Yemen at risk of food insecurity, the UN refugee agency said. In July, cash assistance, housing and basic necessities will be cut for 150 thousand IDPs and nearly 100 thousand refugees.
The UN described the situation in Yemen as the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” caused by seven years of war and a tight siege launched by Riyadh and its regional allies against the poorest country in West Asia .
Since then, the Saudi-led coalition has repeatedly prevented the delivery of needed humanitarian aid and fuel to Yemeni ports. In recent months, the coalition has continued to stop Yemeni oil tankers despite a UN-brokered ceasefire intended to end the war and the Saudi blockade.
A few fewer missiles being sent to Ukraine would be enough to feed thousands of children, but not in this world.