Three in four families go hungry in parts of Yemen from new fighting

Women and children, who fled fighting between the Houthis and government forces in Red Sea coastline areas, walk at a camp for internally displaced people near Aden, Yemen, on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)

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GENEVA: Three-in-four families in parts of Yemen are going hungry from the "absolutely devastating" impact of a surge in fighting, which has displaced tens of thousands of people and disrupted supplies to millions, the World Food Programme said on Friday (Oct 2).

Yemen is experiencing the most serious escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthi group since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022. The renewed conflict could reshape control in Yemen, with implications for Red Sea shipping lanes.

Within just a few weeks, the fighting has driven the share of households without sufficient food to 74% in government-controlled areas accessible to WFP, the UN hunger body's Assistant Executive Director for Programme Operations told reporters in Geneva. The total population of government-held areas is estimated at around 10 million people.

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