Three in four households go hungry in parts of Yemen amid fighting: UN

What the report says

The United Nations food agency says hunger is worsening sharply in Yemen as a new round of fighting displaces civilians and disrupts supply routes. In a report cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters, the World Food Programme said 74 percent of households in accessible government-held areas cannot meet basic food needs, a record level this year. The agency said the situation is particularly severe in areas under the internationally recognised government, where an estimated 10 million people live.

The article says recent clashes between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement have pushed thousands from their homes and made it harder to move food and aid. Displaced families have been arriving near Aden and Taiz with little or no food or water, according to the WFP. The agency described the impact of the latest escalation as potentially devastating for food security.

The WFP said it is trying to expand assistance to as many as 1.5 million people, but it needs $109 million to do so and has already shifted resources away from planned November distributions. It warned that, without new funding, vulnerable displaced people could face aid gaps within weeks.

More broadly, the WFP said 18.3 million people across Yemen are facing severe food insecurity, including 2.2 million children under five who are acutely malnourished. The report also noted wider regional risks if fighting continues around key waterways, including pressure on shipping and higher food and fuel prices.