Report Warns Yemen’s Famine Risks Killing Thousands Daily

Even Before Latest Blockade, 15 Million Yemenis Were in 'Crisis'

A new report from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network is cautioning that if the ongoing blockade of northern Yemen’s ports continue, it will lead to a rapid deterioration in food security, and quickly lead to killing thousands of people daily.

The report already puts 15 million people within Yemen, which is more than half of the country, is at “crisis” levels of food insecurity or worse. A separate Red Cross report warned 2.5 million people have no access to clean water at this point.

The lack of clean water has already caused a cholera epidemic believed to rank among the worst in human history, and is likely to get even worse. Thousands of people have already died from this epidemic.

While people have been dying from Saudi airstrikes, cholera, and medicine shortages already, the famine risks killing a large chunk of Yemen’s population, causing a once in a generation crisis.

Yemen imports over 90% of its food in peace time, and the Saudi-led blockade seems intended to take advantage of that fact, using mass starvation as a weapon of war.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.