Worsening Hunger and Salary Crisis Intensifies in Houthi-Controlled Yemen During Ramadan

Indicators of severe hunger are escalating across areas controlled by Houthi militias in northern Yemen as the month of Ramadan begins, marked by long queues of women seeking basic meals from charitable kitchens, particularly in the city of Ibb. This tragic scene underscores the deepening livelihood crisis fueled by years of suspended public sector salaries and economic collapse.

Social media footage circulating widely depicts women and children congregating outside soup kitchens in Ibb, with residents confirming that aid is often limited to meager portions of bread and rice, insufficient to sustain families deprived of their primary income sources.

These desperate scenes occur while hundreds of thousands of public sector employees in Houthi-controlled territories, backed by Iran, have not received their salaries since late 2016, following the internationally recognized government’s relocation of the Central Bank headquarters to Aden. Employees and activists frequently accuse the militia of diverting public revenues—including taxes, customs duties, and state enterprise income—to finance its war efforts, sectarian activities, and administrative networks instead of fulfilling salary obligations.

Reports from the United Nations Panel of Experts on Yemen indicate systematic diversion of public revenues and the imposition of extra levies under various pretexts, such as Zakat and "voluntary" contributions, all while essential services deteriorate and poverty expands.

According to the United Nations, approximately 19.5 million people in Yemen require humanitarian assistance and protection. The latest analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system shows that between 17 and 18 million Yemenis face acute levels of food insecurity, with millions more hovering near famine thresholds without immediate aid interventions.

Economists note that the erosion of purchasing power has reached unprecedented lows, linking the widening hunger gap to the collapse of the local currency, soaring food prices, and a decline in humanitarian funding over the past two years. They point out that the absence of fundamental solutions to the salary crisis and ongoing restrictions on economic activity in Houthi areas have increased the population's reliance on aid, especially during religious seasons.

While the Yemeni government and Houthi militias exchange blame for the economic catastrophe, millions of civilians in the north remain trapped between defunct income sources and dwindling international assistance, amidst repeated UN warnings that the current trajectory could push more families into famine in one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.