Yemen has been struggling with levels of extreme hunger for years, but this may now dramatically increase after Houthi rebels attacked Marib province which until then had remained relatively peaceful.
Martin Griffiths, the UN Special Envoy in Yemen, said the hostilities that Houthi rebels are carrying out in Marib province may accelerate the impact of hunger and lead to the worst famine the world has experienced in decades. He also added that the attacks will lead to the displacement of thousands of civilians with many having fled to Marib from other regions of the country affected by ongoing hostilities.
🇾🇪 #Yemen: We are increasingly concerned for the fate of civilians in Marib Governorate, incl. at least 800,000 IDPs, amid escalating fighting as Houthi forces try to seize control. We remind all parties of their obligations to protect civilians. Read 👉 https://t.co/7NROBDWqSL pic.twitter.com/HEiRK6UbdE
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) February 19, 2021
The UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, estimates that recent developments have led to the internal displacement of about 800,000 people. Its spokesperson, Liz Throssel, called for a de-escalation of the conflict in Marib. The province has so far has been relatively safe as it is controlled by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. It is also rich in gas and oil which makes it strategically important. This is why it became a destination for many Yemenis fleeing from their homes with around one million having settled there since 2015.
Now Marib has also been targeted and, at the beginning of February, Houthi rebels attacked the province with four missiles, killing three civilians. In retaliation, forces linked to the Yemeni government have carried out about 100 airstrikes since 10 February. The OHCHR is trying to determine how many civilians have been affected by those strikes.
The ongoing hostilities put at risk the camps located in Marib that are inhabited by displaced people. The UN warns that a lack of de-escalation will cause a humanitarian disaster as at the moment about 16 million people in Yemen are hungry and 400,000 children are suffering due to severe malnourishment and require treatment necessary to save their lives.
UNICEF projects that in 2021 as many as 2.3 million children under five will be suffering from acute malnutrition. These numbers indicate that the level of hunger is the highest since the conflict began in 2015. Unfortunately, apart from children, pregnant and breastfeeding women are also at risk and it is estimated that about 1.2 million of these will be acutely malnourished in 2021 which, of course, will severely impact their children. The UN has also stated that the Houthi are hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid by delaying convoys or harassing aid staff.
The UN agencies assess that the humanitarian disaster that Yemen is going through is a combination of several different and disastrous factors. Whilst the main one is the conflict which has triggered the economic collapse, other issues include the COVID-19 pandemic and climate changes which have caused droughts and floods and thus food shortages as well as a lack of funds.
Experts expect a further deterioration of the Yemeni humanitarian crisis during 2021 unless the conflict is de-escalated. Since 2015 when the conflict started, the country’s GDP fell from $35.7 billion to $26.9 billion. The worsening economic conditions could lead to as much as 66% of the Yemeni population not be able to survive without humanitarian assistance.
