Yemen, Taiz (Qahira district), 28 February 2016 WFP successfully delivered and distributed in February food rations enough for 18,000 people inside a conflict area in the central Yemeni city of Taiz where residents have been in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. The rations which include vegetable oil, pulses, wheat and sugar, are enough to feed a family of six for one month. People cue to receive their food rations at Al Moalmeen Institute in Freedom Square neighborhood where heavy fighting is ongoing in Al Qahira District inside Taiz city. This is the second time WFP has had access to Al Qahira conflict zones this year. In January, WFP reached both Al Qahira and Al Mudaffar Districts, distributing food to another 18,000 individuals. Even before the conflict, Yemen has been the poorest country in the Middle East with high rates of malnutrition. The war has worsened Yemens poor food security situation, adding more than 3 million people to the ranks of the hungry in a year. In the Photo: Residents at Al Moalmeen Institute where WFP distributed food inside conflict zones in Taiz city carry their food rations home. Taiz is one of 10 out of Yemens 22 governorates that are in the grip of severe food insecurity at Emergency Level, one step below famine. WFP has been delivering food assistance to parts of Taiz City since December 2015 reaching as many people in need as possible but with the fighting, it has been difficult to move food to all districts of the city. Photo: WFP/Ahmed Basha

WFP: Rising Food Prices Exacerbate Hunger In Yemen

On Feb 14, 2022

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has warned of the intensification of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, with the continuation of the war and siege by the Saudi-led coalition for the seventh year in a row.

“The depreciation of the local currency has caused the rise in food prices, which pushed many in Yemen into extreme poverty, increased hunger rate, and exacerbated the humanitarian situation,” a statement issued by the program said.

The statement added that many Yemeni people depend on food aid.

“As the value of the local currency reached 1,200 Yemeni riyals against the dollar in 2022, while the price of the dollar before the coalition war in 2014 was 215 Yemeni riyals in the local market,” the statement explained.

Nearly 80 percent of the population, approximately 30 million, are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, and 13 million are at risk of famine, according to United Nations estimates.

For its part, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that 11 million people in Yemen “will end up closer to starvation” due to the lack of funding for life-saving activities in the country.

It is noteworthy that the coalition war and unjust blockade have worsened the living conditions of the Yemeni people and created one of the worst global crises in the humanitarian field.