An acceleration of acute malnutrition has made famine a real possibility in some Yemeni government-controlled areas, a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned on Sunday. The IPC estimated that 609,808 children under age five will be acutely malnourished by the end of the year, identifying four districts in particular that would require “immediate intervention:” Mawza and Al Makha in Taiz province as well as Hays and Al Kawkhah in Hodeida province. In addition, the IPC estimated that 222,918 pregnant or breastfeeding women would be acutely malnourished.
The IPC has three scales that serve as a “common currency” for food security and nutrition analysis globally: acute insecurity, chronic food insecurity and actute malnutrition. The acute malnutrition scale is then broken down into five severity phases, coupled with an associated response protocol. By the end of the year, IPC predicts 118, 569 children will fall under the “Severe Acute Malnutrition” classification—a 34 percent increase from 2023. A further 491,239 will fall under the “Moderate Acute Malnutrition” classification. The report identifies multiple contributing factors such as the persistence of a cholera and measles outbreak at the end of 2023, poor sanitation, suboptimal feeding practices, and food insecurity.
Since civil war broke out in 2014 between the Saudi and United Arab Emirates-led coalition and the Houthi armed group, children have been ongoing victims of the humanitarian crisis. Widespread damage to schools and hospitals has hindered education and healthcare. Numerous war crimes have been committed by both parties, with reports that at least 120 medical facilities have been destroyed since the conflict began alongside water and sanitation infrastructure. The Houthis continue to use landmines in areas containing farmland and water sources, contrary to international law, which prohibits attacks on or the destruction of agricultural areas and drinking water. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Yemen is a party, protects a child’s right to nutritious food and clean drinking water.
The IPC has called for enhanced surveillance, health and education programmes, and inter-sectoral collaboration. Nevertheless, provision of international aid remains subject to ongoing difficulties. Human Rights Watch points to a lack of prevention and investment in long-term solutions by authorities and their “onerous bureaucratic aid requirements”. In August, there were reports that the Houthis were obstructing aid work and access to public health information, exacerbating the cholera outbreak. Earlier in June, Houthi authorities raided the homes and offices of various UN and NGOs, resulting in the detainment of staff.
