Over one million Yemeni children suffer from acute malnutrition

One in three Yemeni children under five – approximately 1.3 million – are suffering from acute malnutrition, an international NGO has warned.

"The catastrophic food crisis in Yemen is clearly getting worse, and as we have seen so many times, it's babies and children who suffer the consequences most," said Edward Santiago, Save the Children's Country Director in Yemen.

"We're particularly alarmed at spiralling malnutrition amongst babies and children," he added.

"Every day, more and more families face an increased risk of being pushed into acute malnutrition as supplies dwindle, prices skyrocket and poverty rises."

Even when Yemeni families can get their critically ill babies to a functioning hospital, Santiago explained, the electricity supply is patchy and fuel to run backup generators is scarce, meaning lifesaving equipment does not always function properly.

According to UN statistics, 19 out of Yemen's 22 governorates are currently facing severe food insecurity, likely to deteriorate if the conflict persists.

19 out of Yemen's 22 governorates are currently facing severe food insecurity, likely to deteriorate if the conflict persists

Nine of those are now in a state of emergency, just one step away from being declared a 'famine', including the besieged city of Taiz and the major port city of Hudaydah.

"At least seven million people – a quarter of the population – are living under Emergency levels of food insecurity," the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis revealed last month.

This reflects a 15 percent increase since June 2015, according to the report, while a further 7.1 million people are in a 'State of Crisis.'

Jamie McGoldrick, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, described the current food crisis as "one of the worst" in the world, adding that it is continuing to get worse.

"Conflict has taken a very heavy toll on the country and its people, exacerbated widespread vulnerability and virtually destroyed household coping mechanisms," he said.

"As a result, food insecurity, remains unacceptably high."

The catastrophic food crisis in Yemen is clearly getting worse, and as we have seen so many times, it's babies and children who suffer the consequences most - Edward Santiago

Yemen has been at war since September 2014, when Houthi rebels and their allies overran the capital forcing the internationally-recognised government to flee south.

Their advances in the Arab world's poorest country brought the Saudi-led coalition into the war in March 2015.

Since then, the conflict has killed more than 6,000, including 930 children, as well as cut off food, fuel, clean water and medical supplies.

While a de facto blockade on imports by the Saudi-led coalition has now eased, stocks of food and fuel remain perilously low.

Food prices have soared by up to 60 percent since the conflict began in March 2015, while cooking gas is 76 percent more expensive.

The current food crisis in Yemen has been described as 'one of the worst' in the world

Lack of support

In May, John Ging, the director of the UN's humanitarian operations returned from Yemen and told the media about the bleak situation in the country.

He said that there had been "a shocking fall off" in support from the donor community over the last few months for the many in dire need of basic supplies and health care.

"It's a very fragile situation, and it's a huge number of people that are in that status," he said.

A UN appeal for $1.8 billion to help more than 13 million Yemenis this year is just 16 percent funded, he said. This is despite Yemen being declared one of the UN's highest-level humanitarian emergencies.

Ging urged governments not to forget Yemen and that the United States, United Kingdom, European Commission and Japan had contributed to the 2016 appeal.

Absent from making a contribution was Saudi Arabia, which donated $245 million to last year's UN appeal.

He said the donor base for Yemen must be expanded, adding that Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states were being contacted. He also stressed that contributions from parties to a conflict cannot have strings attached.