ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ warns of worsening famine in Yemen?
Lack of funds and obstacles on the ground lead to increasing hunger for millions of Yemenis
, Peyvand Khorsandi
The ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ (WFP) has warned of ration cuts for people in Yemen ¡ª the UN agency's biggest emergency.
Addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday (14 January), ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳Executive Director David Beasley said there are currently 16 million people are risk of going hungry in the country.
¡°Starting 1 February, because of the lack of funds, we will have to cut rations to 25 percent,¡± Beasley said, warning of a slide into 'famine conditions' for the 5 million people most at risk ¡ª conditions already faced by 50,000 in the country.
Nearly a quarter of a million people have lost their lives in the country since the current conflict started in 2015.
¡°We need about US$860 million just to avert famine,¡± said Beasley, ¡°And that¡¯s for six months. We don¡¯t even have half that.¡±
Cuts will affect 9 million of the 13 million WFP is currently ¡®struggling¡¯ to reach, said Beasley.
Beasley added that with 80 percent of Yemen¡¯s population of 30 million sliding into extreme hunger, ¡°We¡¯re going to have a catastrophe on our hands.¡±
He made an appeal for Gulf states to step up and deliver the funds required to save lives in Yemen.
¡°If they don¡¯t,¡± he said, ¡°we are going to have to take money from the great needs we are facing, whether it¡¯s in the Sahel or Ethiopia or Sudan, South Sudan, DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] ¡ we are not going to have enough money which means we are going to have famine in many, many other countries. The ripple effect is just beginning from COVID.¡±
In line with WFP¡¯s principles of neutrality during conflicts, Beasley said, ¡°All parties [to the conflict] need to be held accountable and step up to the table to do what¡¯s right.¡±
Beasley also expressed concern about risks humanitarian workers may face in Yemen.
¡°They¡¯re going to be at severe, severe risk,¡± he said.
