Numerous aid organizations have issued a plea for increased donor funding to address the pressing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, cautioning that failure to act could result in "catastrophic consequences" for the war-torn nation's populace.
In a collective statement released on Monday, 188 humanitarian groups, including United Nations agencies, revealed that they had only secured $435 million of the $2.7 billion needed to deliver critical assistance. They highlighted looming threats such as food shortages and diseases. The statement underscored the challenges posed by underfunding, which hampers the continuity of humanitarian programs, leading to delays, cutbacks, and suspensions of life-saving aid initiatives. It emphasized that 18.2 million people—over half of Yemen's population—required assistance following more than nine years of conflict.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when Houthi rebels captured significant territories, including the capital, Sanaa. The situation escalated in March 2015 when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates formed a US-backed military coalition to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Although a UN-brokered truce in 2022 has reduced hostilities, the humanitarian situation remains dire. Recent Houthi assaults on vessels passing through the Red Sea in protest against Israel's actions in Gaza and US retaliatory strikes threaten to disrupt the fragile peace.
A combination of economic decline, crumbling public services, sporadic violence, and climate change vulnerabilities continues to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The aid organizations stressed that nursing mothers, the elderly, and children are especially vulnerable to increasing food shortages. The current rainy season has also led to a surge in cholera cases, and unexploded ordnance has resulted in fatalities and injuries.
They described Yemen as being "at a crossroads," emphasizing the urgent need for sustained funding to address the significant humanitarian needs that persist.
With a population of 33 million, Yemen ranks among the world's poorest countries and is highly susceptible to climate change. According to the UN, hundreds of thousands have died in the conflict or due to indirect causes such as food scarcity. NGOs previously warned that two out of five Yemeni children are not receiving an education, while more than 17 million individuals—half of them children—require medical assistance.
The appeal to bolster Yemen's 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan was issued on Monday, just ahead of a meeting of senior European Union officials in Brussels to discuss aid for the country.