Yemen Monitor / Sana’a / Exclusive:
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced the suspension of all its activities in areas under Houthi control, in response to the group’s abduction of its staff several weeks ago. This development comes as food security in Yemen faces unprecedented deterioration, with global warnings of a “widespread famine” in Houthi-held areas.
An internal WFP report, seen by Yemen Monitor on Wednesday and issued earlier this week, stated that UN Secretary-General António Guterres and WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all UN staff detained in northern Yemen since August 31.
Among the detainees are 15 staff members from the WFP team, out of 22 UN employees abducted by the Houthis from WFP and UNICEF offices.
The suspension of activities will worsen the humanitarian crisis, halting emergency food assistance, school feeding, and preventive nutrition programs in areas under Houthi control.
Relief officials in Sana’a told Yemen Monitor that since early September, WFP has also stopped providing “fuel on demand” for health facilities supported by NGOs in Houthi-controlled areas.
They added that the UN program has suspended the beneficiary re-registration process in Houthi areas, which had already begun in recent weeks.
They further confirmed that the school feeding program was halted at the start of this month.
A director of a local relief organization partnering with WFP and other UN agencies said: “Currently, there is no food assistance from the WFP.”
The relief officials spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of Houthi reprisals.
A Dire Humanitarian Situation
The report obtained by Yemen Monitor shows that Yemen’s humanitarian situation has reached critical levels, with the percentage of the population unable to meet their minimum food needs rising to 70% in July. This is the highest rate ever recorded by WFP in Yemen, persisted for the fourth consecutive month.
According to the report, around 18.1 million people are currently food insecure, with more than 41,000 facing catastrophic levels of hunger. The deterioration is attributed to multiple factors, most notably shrinking humanitarian aid, severe economic challenges, ongoing conflict, climate risks, disruption of imports, as well as operational restrictions and economic sanctions.
Before the suspension decision, WFP had managed to provide aid to about 3.1 million people in Yemen during August. This included emergency assistance to nearly 3 million people, while 112,800 children and women benefited from nutrition programs.
Last week, the United Nations relocated its Resident Coordinator’s office from Sana’a to Aden, after more than two weeks of the Houthis detaining at least 21 UN employees in the capital and holding a reprimand session for its officials. This marks the latest blow to the Houthis’ international standing and a direct consequence of their aggressive behavior toward international organizations.
