Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor warns of imminent famine in areas controlled by the Yemeni government and calls for urgent intervention to save children’s lives

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called on Thursday for urgent measures to address the worsening acute malnutrition crisis in Yemen, especially in areas under the control of the Yemeni government, where children under the age of five face unprecedented risks to their lives as a result of the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor indicated in a statement that field reports confirm that the country is close to entering a state of famine, which requires immediate intervention from the international community to save the lives of thousands of children suffering from severe malnutrition.

About 2.2 million children in Yemen suffer from acute malnutrition, including about 540,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, putting them at risk of death if they do not receive the necessary health care.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor warned that the worsening food crisis in Yemen comes amid a sharp economic deterioration that has been sweeping the country since the outbreak of the conflict that has been ongoing for more than eight years, as millions of Yemenis face severe food shortages and an unprecedented rise in the prices of basic commodities.

While many countries face food insecurity and shortages of food and supplies, the United Nations only declares a famine when certain conditions are met, using a scale known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification ( IPC ). Famine is the highest on the scale. IPC is declared in an area when at least 20% of the population faces severe food shortages, acute malnutrition rates exceed 30% and two people out of every 1,000 die of hunger every day.

For the first time, this level has been reported in Yemen by UN experts in three areas. A report published by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification ( IPC ) Technical Group in Yemen, which covers only government-controlled areas, found that two districts in the southern plain of Al Hudaydah governorate and one district in the Taiz plain (Al Mokha) are in Phase 5, the worst phase in the IPC classification, with four more districts—Al Mawza and Al Mokha in the Taiz plain, and Hays and Al Khawkhah in the Hudaydah plain—expected to follow by October 2024.

According to the Integrated Phase Classification report, malnutrition rates in Yemen have worsened significantly due to a combination of factors, including lack of drinking water, lack of nutritious food, the spread of diseases such as cholera and measles, and the broader economic recession.

The number of children suffering from acute malnutrition in the country has increased by 34% compared to last year, including more than 18,500 children under the age of five who are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition in the coming months.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor pointed out that the food crisis in Yemen is man-made as a result of the war there, with the most serious cases appearing along the Red Sea coasts devastated by the long conflict that began in March 2015, at a time when Yemen was already one of the poorest countries in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East and North Africa region.

He added that today, 21.6 million Yemenis—two-thirds of Yemen's population—do not know where their next meal will come from, while more than 80% of Yemenis live below the poverty line.

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by food insecurity and malnutrition, and coping mechanisms are becoming increasingly difficult. Women eat last and in smaller quantities, prioritizing children and other relatives or using money for other family needs.

An estimated 223,000 pregnant and lactating women are expected to be malnourished by the end of this year. In addition, early marriage has increased since the conflict escalated, with girls as young as eight being forced to marry to reduce the number of family members to feed, or as a source of income to feed the rest of the family and pay off debts.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called on the international community, especially donors and concerned countries, to redouble their efforts to ensure that humanitarian aid and food supplies reach the most affected groups, especially children suffering from severe malnutrition, and to work to facilitate access to the health services necessary to preserve their lives.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor also stressed the need to work hard to end the conflict in Yemen and ensure stability in a way that allows the economy to recover and provide a decent life for Yemenis, noting that addressing the food crisis and malnutrition in the country requires comprehensive and sustainable efforts to achieve peace and stability.