Acute food insecurity is expected to increase sharply in war-torn southern Yemen due to a combination of factors that have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 disease, according to a report from several UN agencies published Wednesday.
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According to the document, which covers only the southern regions of Yemen, the number of people " facing high levels of acute food insecurity " is expected to increase from 2 million in February-April to 3.2 million in July-December, an increase of 60%. The report covering 133 districts in southern Yemen was jointly developed by three UN agencies, including the World Food Program (WFP).
WFP said in June that despite humanitarian assistance, more than 20 million Yemenis across the country were food insecure, including nearly 10 million acutely food insecure. With a population of around 27 million, Yemen is the scene of what the UN considers the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Tens of thousands of dead
The war between the Houthi rebels, who control parts of the north and west of the country, and the government has left tens of thousands dead and displaced millions of people. The report says the conflict-born economic crisis, floods, locusts and now the coronavirus have created the perfect environment for a sharp increase in cases of food insecurity.
Read also: In Yemen, "the crisis has been added to the crisis"
In addition to WFP, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Children's Fund (Unicef) and other partners participated in the report. Food security in Yemen improved last year thanks to a massive increase in international aid before deteriorating this year, according to the report.
This document " tells us that Yemen is once again on the brink of a major food crisis ," warned Lise Grande, humanitarian coordinator for Yemen. “ If we don't get the funding we need, we won't be able to do the same ” as last year, added Lise Grande, quoted by the report. " Yemen is facing crises on multiple fronts, " declared Laurent Bukera, director of WFP in Yemen. " We must act now (...) The red flags are there again and with the coronavirus pandemic on top of that, the situation could worsen if humanitarian action is delayed ", he warned.