The United Nations has warned that Yemen is entering a dangerous new phase of humanitarian crisis, with more than 17 million people going hungry—including over a million children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council that the situation has worsened dramatically since late 2023, and the number of food-insecure people could exceed 18 million by September.

Fletcher said the UN had not seen such levels of deprivation since before the 2022 truce, which has since unraveled amid escalating violence. He added that global funding shortfalls were crippling relief efforts, with the UN’s $2.5 billion humanitarian appeal for Yemen only 9% funded as of mid-May.

Children at Risk, Aid at a Breaking Point

Experts with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reported that at least 17,000 Yemenis are already in the most severe hunger categories. Fletcher warned that 1.2 million children may face permanent physical and cognitive harm due to malnutrition by early next year.

The UN says reductions in aid, caused by collapsing donor support, are directly responsible for deteriorating conditions. “We’re seeing the return of famine conditions,” one aid official said.

War, Airstrikes, and Regional Spillover

Yemen’s decade-long civil war continues to devastate the country. The Houthi rebels’ seizure of the capital in 2014 triggered a Saudi-led intervention, and the conflict has since killed more than 150,000 people.

UN envoy Hans Grundberg reported new instability this week, citing two Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea—the first in seven months—and renewed Israeli airstrikes on Houthi-held ports. Grundberg warned that Yemen is being pulled into broader regional tensions, particularly those linked to the war in Gaza.

“The stakes for Yemen are simply too high,” Grundberg told the Security Council. “Yemen’s future depends on our collective resolve to shield it from further suffering.”