Escalation in the Red Sea: the dire food situation in Yemen could worsen
Attacks on ships in the Red Sea have had a negative impact on international shipping. Escalation in the Red Sea: the dire food situation in Yemen could worsen Humanitarian Assistance
An escalating crisis in the Red Sea could accelerate rising transport costs, delay the delivery of food supplies, or lead to the closure of trade routes and Yemeni ports. This is stated in a new report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
This development will worsen the already dire food security situation in Yemen, which will primarily affect the most vulnerable groups of the population, including poor families and internally displaced persons.
According to the latest data, nearly 5 million people, or 45 percent of the population, in Yemeni government-controlled areas are in crisis.
Yemen relies heavily on imports to meet the food needs of its population: about 90 percent of the country’s cereal needs are imported. The FAO report says that if current tensions continue over the next three months, imports are likely to slow.
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Security Council: “Military adventurism” is pushing Yemen towards full-scale war measures to prevent the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country. He stressed that the escalation in the Red Sea comes at a time when attention on Yemen has waned and humanitarian organizations are directing their resources to other hotspots, including Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and Sudan.
“We cannot afford to wait for the humanitarian emergency to worsen. The time has come to coordinate efforts to de-escalate the crisis in the Red Sea,” Gadain said.
“We must ensure the uninterrupted flow of commercial and humanitarian food supplies. This crisis, if left unaddressed, threatens to undo the progress we have made,” he added.
The report also says that further escalation could deprive many Yemenis of their livelihoods. For example, fishermen may refuse to go to sea due to safety concerns.
In addition, increased hostilities in the Red Sea could lead to the destruction of critical infrastructure, including ports and storage facilities, which will further hamper the efficient distribution and storage of food in the country.
