Yemen’s Humanitarian Crisis Worsens as Hunger Deepens
Recent Developments
01January 2026: The UN warned Yemen’s humanitarian crisis will worsen in 2026 as food insecurity rises and aid funding dries up; the UN said 21 million Yemenis were in need and last year’s response plan was only 28% funded at $688 million.
022026 UN briefings reported more than 18 million people facing acute food insecurity, with tens of thousands in famine-like conditions and widespread cuts to nutrition programs and health services.
03HRW’s 2026 World Report said 19.5 million people needed humanitarian assistance in 2025, 1.3 million more than in 2024, and documented at least 238 civilian deaths and 467 injuries from US airstrikes between March 15 and May 6, 2025.
04UN and media reports in 2026 said more than 450 health facilities had closed because of funding cuts, further weakening access to care.
Interventions
- UN humanitarian response efforts in Yemen, including food assistance, nutrition support, health services, and protection programming, are ongoing but underfunded.
- UNFPA-supported services for women and girls continue where funding allows, including sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence support, though services have been reduced by major shortfalls.
- Nutrition interventions and outpatient therapeutic feeding programs are still operating in some areas, but many have been forced to scale back or close because of funding constraints.
What Works
- Predictable humanitarian funding for food, nutrition, and health programs helps prevent acute deterioration, especially where access is still possible.
- Targeted nutrition support for children under five and pregnant or lactating women is an evidence-based way to reduce severe malnutrition and mortality in crisis settings.
- Maintaining health-facility operations and mobile clinics is critical in Yemen, where closures and poor functionality have sharply reduced access to care.
How to Help
- Donate to credible humanitarian organizations responding in Yemen, such as UN agencies and established relief NGOs.
- Support advocacy for increased humanitarian funding and protection of civilian infrastructure.
- Share verified information and encourage policy action from elected representatives on Yemen aid and civilian protection.
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Verified Organizations
Organizations Helping(18)
UNHCR is mitigating flood risks in Rohingya refugee camps by pre-positioning humanitarian supplies such as tarpaulins, rope to secure shelters, sleeping mats, water purification tablets, and jerrycans ahead of the monsoon season to protect displaced populations from floods and landslides.
UNFPA delivers sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV) services across all 18 states of Sudan via mobile clinics, static facilities, and women and girls’ safe spaces. From January to June 2025, they supported over 127,000 individuals with medical and SRH services and assisted 12,500 births, targeting the devastated health systems in conflict zones like Khartoum and Darfur.
Human Rights Watch monitors and documents escalating armed conflict, political violence, attacks on civilians, indiscriminate aerial bombardments, intercommunal violence, and humanitarian crises in South Sudan through detailed investigations and reporting. They highlight civilian casualties, displacement, sexual violence, and food insecurity, while advocating for accountability, cessation of hostilities, and international action to address violations by government forces, opposition groups like SPLA-IO and NAS, and urging compliance with peace agreements.
Sources & Citations
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