Prior to the UN Security Council, Fletcher stated that the food crisis in Yemen has worsened since 2023 – and risks worsening further.
The number of people starving can amount to 18 million in September and the number of children with acute malnutrition can rise to 1.2 million by the beginning of next year.
Many are at risk of permanent physical and cognitive damage, said Fletcher.
Decreased aid
He links the development to decreased humanitarian aid and points out that Yemen, with a population of around 40 million, has only received nine percent of the amount needed.
The country has been plagued by a civil war for over ten years, where the Iran-supported Houthi movement is fighting against the Saudi-supported government. More than 150,000 people, combatants and civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
Risks becoming worse
Hans Grundberg, the UN's special envoy for Yemen, said before the Security Council that the country must not be drawn deeper into regional crises. He referred, among other things, to Israeli attacks on important ports controlled by the Houthi movement earlier in the week, as well as two attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea that the Iran-supported group has taken responsibility for.
It threatens to unravel the already extremely fragile situation in the country, said Grundberg and continued:
Negotiations offer the best hope for dealing with the complex conflict. A military solution to the civil war risks deepening Yemen's suffering.
