Yemen Recorded Highest Food Insecurity Crisis Levels in Past Year, WFP Reports

The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported that Yemen experienced the highest rates of food insecurity crisis during the preceding year, peaking in July when 70% of the population suffered from food shortages.

According to a recent report on the state of food security in Yemen, released Tuesday, a slight seasonal improvement was observed in August. However, conditions deteriorated again in the final quarter of the year, with the rate reaching 64% by December.

The report detailed that acute food deprivation continued to affect 37% of households nationwide by the end of the year, with peak levels recorded in the governorates of Marib, Al Dhale', Al Bayda, Abyan, and Al Jawf.

WFP data revealed limited access to adequate food across all 12 most affected areas during the last quarter of the year. A marked annual decline was particularly evident in Abs, Al Zahra, and Kushar districts in Hajjah governorate, which remain under Houthi control, as well as in Al Mukha and Marib City, and Al Dhale', areas under Yemeni government control.

The assessment confirmed that internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain among the most vulnerable populations in Yemen, facing significantly worse conditions regarding food consumption and coping capacity compared to those living in host communities.

The ongoing conflict was identified as the primary driver sustaining the food insecurity crisis. Further contributing factors cited in the report include damage to the infrastructure of Hodeidah ports resulting from Israeli airstrikes and insufficient funding leading to a shortfall in necessary food aid provisions.