NEW YORK (Anadolu/Xinhua) – The United Nations has announced that half a million children in areas controlled by the forced backed by the Saudi-led coalition are at risk of acute malnutrition this year.
This came in a joint statement issued by three UN agencies, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP), a copy of which was received by Anadolu Agency.
“As acute malnutrition continues to worsen in southern governorates, it is estimated that in 2023, half a million children will be acutely malnourished, including nearly 100,000 children who are likely to be severely malnourished,” the statement read.
“It is also estimated that up to a quarter million pregnant and lactating women (PLW) will be acutely malnourished,” it added.
While the statement indicated a slight improvement in food security during the first five months of this year, it warned that: “Despite the slight improvements, nearly all districts were assessed to be facing high levels of food insecurity.”
For months, the UN has been suffering from a severe lack of funding for humanitarian operations in Yemen, leading to reduced aid to millions of people amid warnings of more hunger.
David Gressly, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said that 17 million people in Yemen are still grappling with food insecurity.
The report further disclosed a worrisome trend, projecting an increase in the number of people likely to experience severe levels of acute food insecurity from 3.2 million in the first five months of 2023 to 3.9 million in the latter half of the year.
Among these figures, approximately 2.8 million people are expected to face crisis-level hunger.
WFP Representative in Yemen Richard Ragan stressed in the report that urgent and sustained support is required to prevent a humanitarian crisis and famine in Yemen.