UN warns of looming famine in Yemen

20/6/2025 5:51

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday issued a warning about the emergence of famine hotspots in Yemen in the coming months.

"Food insecurity in Yemen remains at alarming levels. Millions are in acute hunger and pockets of famine could emerge in the coming months. We must act now to save lives," OCHA said in a brief statement on social media platform X.

On Wednesday, Yemeni Foreign Minister Shaya Zindani held discussions with Julien Harneis, the United Nations resident coordinator in Yemen, focusing on mobilizing international resources to address the country's deteriorating humanitarian situation, according to a statement from the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The humanitarian response to the Yemeni crisis has been severely hampered by funding shortfalls. In May, the United Nations reported that the 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan was less than 10 percent funded, calling for urgent international support to prevent the country from sliding into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Yemen has been mired in a civil conflict since late 2014 when the Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognized government out of the capital Sanaa. The conflict escalated into a broader regional crisis in 2015 with the intervention of a Saudi-led coalition in support of the displaced government.

The war, now in its second decade, has triggered what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Despite repeated mediation efforts, a lasting peace remains elusive.