Yemen: Children starve to death while the world looks away

Children from displaced families are dying of starvation in parts of Yemen, according to the United Nations, as extreme hunger and malnutrition take hold. Over 17 million people in Yemen are acutely food insecure, a figure expected to surpass 18 million by February 2026 amid a critical crisis in humanitarian funding.

After over a decade of conflict, Yemen remains one of the world’s most neglected humanitarian emergencies. The ongoing civil war, now in its eleventh year, has left millions displaced, and food systems shattered, while aid organizations remain chronically underfunded. Women and children continue to bear the brunt of the crisis.

In some areas, the situation has already turned catastrophic.

“In camps for internally displaced persons [IDPs] in Abs District of Hajjah governorate, for example, a needs assessment mission in July found children from displaced families dying of starvation,” Ramesh Rajasingham of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told the UN Security Council this week.

“These are children who have died not from war wounds, but from hunger – slow, silent and preventable. This is the human face of food insecurity.”

During his briefing on the humanitarian situation, Rajasingham, the director of OCHA's Coordination Division, emphasized that Yemen is currently one of the most food-insecure countries worldwide.

“As the economy continues to collapse and pressures on the food pipelines mount, many households with access to food can no longer afford it. Livelihoods across the public sector and agriculture and fisheries industries, among others, have been disrupted by ongoing conflict”, he said.

Half of the nation’s children under the age of five — some 2.3 million — suffer from acute malnutrition, and nearly half of them suffer from stunting.

While it was “all too easy to reduce Yemen’s crisis to numbers”, food insecurity means “developmental delays and infections, and a risk of death from common illnesses 9 to 12 times higher than the average,” Rajasingham said.

He added that this is a “life-or-death gamble for children” in a context where healthcare is “desperately inadequate” and support services are unavailable to many.

The OCHA official stressed that starvation is preventable and that, despite limited resources and operational challenges, humanitarian organizations remain on the ground with "the singular goal of reaching those most at risk before it is too late."

“After receiving alarming information of the acute food insecurity and malnutrition situation in IDP camps in Abs district last month, for example, the humanitarian system – including UN, INGOs, local NGOs and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – quickly mobilized to provide life-saving interventions,” Rajasingham said.

He explained that humanitarian organizations have prioritized providing food to 8.8 million people in emergency or catastrophic situations, and that the Yemen Humanitarian Fund will release US$20 million to mitigate the negative impacts of food insecurity.

“It will come as no surprise that such efforts require support – both political and financial,” said Rajasingham, who called for two things:

“One, increased funding now to scale up urgent emergency food and nutrition support. And two, direct financial support for the Yemen Humanitarian Fund. Given the right tools, local partners can make a huge difference.”

As of mid-August, only 17 percent of Yemen’s 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan has been funded, which significantly hinders the reach of critical, life-saving programs.

Yemen needs a political solution

According to the UN official, a political solution provides the only sustainable and concrete path toward a more secure and prosperous future for all Yemenis. Without it, the current cycles of local and regional violence, economic devolution, and endemic humanitarian need will persist.

“The crisis in Yemen is a political crisis with a staggering impact on millions of people and their communities – people who do not choose who controls the areas where they live,” he said.

“Humanitarian assistance can work to keep people alive, but only a political solution can make them safe.”

Yemen remains gripped by a protracted conflict that erupted in 2014 when forces from the Ansar Allah movement — also known as Houthi rebels — seized the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. The seizure prompted a military intervention in 2015 by an external coalition in support of the internationally recognized government.

Despite intermittent ceasefires, clashes between government-aligned forces and the Houthis have continued. Economic collapse, humanitarian crises, and recent cross-border and maritime attacks linked to the wider regional tensions following the war in Gaza have further compounded the conflict.

Also briefing the Security Council on the same day, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said he remains focused on supporting de-escalation on the frontlines, establishing a path for talks between the parties, and continuing to work with the region and the international community to support Yemen.

The United Nations mediator for Yemen urged the Council to support efforts to de-escalate fighting toward a nationwide ceasefire, advance political talks and economic stabilization, and work with regional and international partners to prevent the country from being drawn deeper into the Middle East conflict.

“The regional turmoil continues to erode prospects for peace and stability in Yemen, where the situation remains deeply fragile,” Grundberg said, emphasizing the urgent need for proactive and pragmatic measures that can pave the way for peace in the country.

He again called for the unconditional and immediate release of the 23 UN employees who are being arbitrarily detained by the Houthis, as well as others from national and international non-governmental organizations and diplomatic missions.

Yemen faces a deepening humanitarian crisis

In 2025, people in Yemen are facing an intensifying humanitarian crisis. More than 19 million people require assistance, disproportionately affecting women, girls, internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, migrants, and refugees.

In the first seven months of this year, humanitarian organizations around the world experienced an abrupt and unprecedented drop in their funding due to extreme reductions imposed by the United States. Yemen has been profoundly impacted by this devastating development.

The drastic reduction in funding has forced relief agencies to scale back critical programming, leaving millions of people without lifesaving support. The ongoing conflict, economic collapse, extreme weather events related to climate change, and disease outbreaks are fueling humanitarian needs.

Amid escalating tensions in the Red Sea, Israeli and US airstrikes have resulted in hundreds of civilian lives lost and hundreds more injured since the beginning of 2025, while also damaging critical infrastructure.

Aid agencies on the ground are grappling not only with the extreme funding cuts, but also with the ongoing detention of humanitarian personnel by the Houthi authorities.

In addition, Yemen is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and one of the least prepared for climate shocks. The country is on the front lines of the global climate crisis, with recurring natural disasters, such as floods and severe droughts, threatening people's lives, health, and well-being.

Natural disasters are growing more unpredictable and severe. The most prevalent is flooding, which typically occurs during the Kharif rainy season from July to September. Heavy rains during this season often cause flash floods, resulting in significant damage and loss to communities, as well as major displacement.