YEMEN CRISIS

After ten years of war, Yemen remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. 

Almost 4 million people have been displaced by the fighting and two out of every three people are in need of humanitarian assistance. 

The decade of conflict has killed over 19,000 people and displaced nearly five million people, disproportionately women and children.

Yemen faces the worst famine the world has seen for decades. Over 19 million people rely on aid to survive, and more than half of those are children.

It is not only the poorest country in the world, but it is one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises. Millions of people have fled their homes in search of safety. Yeminis face the triple threat of war, disease and hunger.

Much of Yemen’s critical infrastructure has been destroyed – the roads, bridges, markets, hospitals, schools, and private factories that powered Yemen’s economy. Education and healthcare services have been devastated, with millions of people unable to access critical support.

Aid cuts have had a devastating impact, leaving millions without the means to survive and without access to education and health services. Families are facing higher prices and reduced humanitarian assistance.

The country has struggled with cholera since the world’s worst outbreak began five years ago with more than 2.1 million reported cases.

Background

The conflict between a Saudi-led coalition of Gulf countries and the Government of Yemen against the Ansar-Allah movement (also known as the Houthis), which escalated in March 2015, caused more than 12,000 civilian deaths before a ceasefire agreed in April 2022. Schools, hospitals, roads, and other critical infrastructure has been decimated by the conflict, and the Yemeni economy has collapsed – leaving essential commodities like food out of reach for most families.  As a result, millions of Yemenis remain displaced from their homes and at risk from hunger and disease. 

Medical supplies are in chronically short supply and only half of health facilities are fully functioning. Millions of people are scattered in camps for displaced persons with little food and poor hygiene.