YEMEN-SECURITY/WFP MALNUTRITION WFP chief warns of famine risk for millions in Yemen

Record ID: 143365

  • Title: YEMEN-SECURITY/WFP MALNUTRITION WFP chief warns of famine risk for millions in Yemen
  • Date: 19th August 2015
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (AUGUST 19, 2015) (REUTERS) COUSIN SPEAKING AT WFP PRESSER (SOUNDBITE) (English) WFP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ERTHARIN COUSIN, SAYING: "I've spent the last 3 days traveling around Yemen, From Sana'a, to Amran down all the way to Aden, and what I saw was the brewing of a perfect storm, where because of lack of access to food, lack of access to clean water, lack of access to regular fuel, that the vulnerable population inside Yemen, is continuing to experience severe food insecurity, which means that they don't have access to the food that they need to meet their daily nutritional requirements, and what's even more challenging, is that the commercial markets are now beginning to malfunction, as a result of the lack of commercial food being brought in by traders because of the embargo, because of lack of the ability to drive around the country, so that means that those who the humanitarian community would provide assistance to, we don't have the access or the resources to assist enough of that population to avoid the challenges of food...food insecurity and those who could otherwise purchase food, now can't buy it." COUSIN SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) WFP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ERTHARIN COUSIN, SAYING: "Well, we're very concerned about the bombing in Hodeida, in fact we had a boat birth right off the port in Hodeida that we were hoping to unload, that we are unsure when we were going to be able to unload that..that ship with the commodities that would support those food assistance needs. Hodeida is the port that provides the access to northern and central Yemen, the challenge is that even with Aden now open as a port, we don't have the ability to transport food by road from south to north just as we didn't have the ability to transport food from the Hodeida port down to the south. We need both ports open, we need all the ports open and the roads open for humanitarian transport of food for the commercial transport of food." VARIOUS OF COUSIN TALKING TO JOURNALISTS JOURNALISTS SEATED AT PRESSER
  • Embargoed: 3rd September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAE5OIJDQIJCJE2616WBP3OYXE0
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Millions of people risk facing famine in Yemen, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Wednesday (August 19) after visiting conflict-hit areas in the country.
    The U.N. agency estimates that the number of food insecure people in Yemen is now close to 13 million, including six million - one in five of the country's population - who are severely food insecure and in urgent need of external assistance.
    More than 1.2 million children are suffering from moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and over half a million children are severely malnourished, WFP said in a statement.
    During her three-day visit WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin travelled to Sanaa, Aden and Amran, and met with displaced families and mothers with malnourished children. She also held talks with the authorities on both sides of the front lines, WFP said.
    Witnessing the challenges first-hand, Cousin warned that the lack of immediate and unhindered access to people who urgently need food assistance and the shortage of funding will create the possibility of famine for millions, mostly women and children, who are already suffering from hunger.
    "Even before this crisis began, Yemen had one of the highest malnutrition rates in the entire world. What we're seeing now is an increase in the number of severe malnutrition cases because of lack of access of our programme operators to provide the support that is necessary. So, what we're seeing now is we're trying to play catch-up, we're trying to play catch-up to save the lives of these children and to ensure the opportunity for them to receive the nutritious food that they require," said Cousin as she visited a nutrition centre run by WFP and UNICEF in Sanaa.
    According to the statement, a recent vulnerability assessment conducted by WFP using mobile phone technology, reaching some of the households in areas inaccessible by teams on the ground, reflected that the deteriorating food security situation is particularly affecting the internally displaced families.
    Many families are existing on bread, rice and tea.
    The assessment showed that emergency food security conditions currently prevail in conflict-affected regions. This phase is one step away from famine levels. Food security is most severe for the country's 1.3 million internally displaced people, WFP said.
    Human rights group Amnesty International said in a report that the Saudi-led air campaign had left a "bloody trail of civilian death" which could amount to war crimes. It said it had investigated eight coalition air strikes in Yemen that killed 141 civilians, including children.
    Evidence revealed a pattern of strikes against populated areas, in most of which no military target could be located nearby, it said.
    The coalition has denied targeting civilians.
    Loyalist forces, backed by Gulf Arab planes, weapons and training, have been on the offensive since breaking out of Aden last month, claiming a string of gains against the Houthis.
    Besides advancing from the south, coalition-backed forces are also fighting the Houthi forces on a second front around Marib, northeast of Sanaa, bringing the combat ever closer to the Houthis' traditional strongholds in Yemen's north.
    Saudi Arabia fears the Houthis are acting as a proxy for its main regional foe Iran to encircle Gulf states and undermine their security, something both Iran and the Houthis deny.
    In a statement, WFP warned that the recent fighting around major ports will stall the commercial and humanitarian supplies to the country - mainly food and fuel.
    WFP has already reached 3.5 million people with food since the beginning of the conflict but the fighting makes deliveries difficult and dangerous. Many road networks in the hardest hit areas of the country are still not operational making communities in conflict-areas inaccessible for aid workers, the agency said.
    Cousin held a press briefing in Cairo on Wednesday (August 19), about the severe crisis in Yemen that has affected the population's access to food and clean water.
    Speaking to reporters Cousin called the situation in Yemen "a perfect storm", highlighting the malfunctioning of commercial markets which is adding to food insecurity, along with the dangers involved in aid provision.
    Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition hit Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeida on Tuesday (August 18) and officials there said the raids destroyed cranes and warehouses in the main entry point for aid supplies to the north of the country.
    "Well, we're very concerned about the bombing in Hodeida, in fact we had a boat birth right off the port in Hodeida that we were hoping to unload, that we are unsure when we were going to be able to unload that ship with the commodities that would support those food assistance needs. Hodeida is the port that provides the access to northern and central Yemen, the challenge is that even with Aden now open as a port, we don't have the ability to transport food by road from south to north just as we didn't have the ability to transport food from the Hodeida port down to the south. We need both ports open, we need all the ports open and the roads open for humanitarian transport of food for the commercial transport of food," Cousin explained.
    Hodeida, controlled by Iranian-allied Houthi forces, had become a focal point of efforts to resupply the impoverished Arab state, battered by five months of war that has killed over 4,300 people.
    The coalition had on Tuesday given permission to three aid vessels to travel to Hodeida's civilian port for humanitarian aid shipments.
    Aid groups have previously complained that a coalition naval blockade has stopped relief supplies entering Yemen. The coalition, in which the United Arab Emirates also plays a big military role, has accused the Houthis of commandeering aid shipments for war use.
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