UN warns of deepening hunger crisis in war-torn Yemen, urges renewed peace efforts
The United Nations has issued a warning on Wednesday that more than 17 million people in Yemen are facing hunger. It also reported that over a million children under the age of five suffering from life-threatening acute malnutrition and the food crisis in the conflict-ravaged country has worsened since late 2023 and this could deteriorate further in the coming months.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council that the number of people going hungry in Yemen could rise to over 18 million by September. The number of children with acute malnutrition may increase to 1.2 million by early next year,with risk of irreversible physical and cognitive damage.
Fletcher said, “This unfolding crisis is made worse by a sharp decline in global funding,” he noted. The UN’s $2.5 billion humanitarian appeal for Yemen in 2025 has received just $222 million so far, only 9% of the target.
UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg, briefing the Council via video, warned of renewed instability following Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s capital and major ports. The Houthis conflict has also given rise to the crisis.
While the Houthis have said they will continue targeting vessels in the Red Sea until the war in Gaza ends, Grundberg cautioned, “Yemen must not be drawn deeper into regional crises that threaten to unravel its already fragile situation.”
“The longer this conflict drags on, the deeper the divisions will become,” he warned, adding that both sides must demonstrate a commitment to peace, including through confidence-building measures such as the long-delayed release of all conflict-related detainees.
“The stakes for Yemen are simply too high,” Grundberg said. “Its future depends on our collective resolve to shield it from further suffering and restore hope and dignity to its people.”
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
