The United Nations and humanitarian associations warned of serious consequences for Yemen after an international donor conference failed to raise the necessary funds to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in this warring country.
Now overshadowed by the conflict in Ukraine, needy Yemen, already immersed in one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet according to the UN, is on the verge of total collapse.
The country's subsistence depends almost entirely on imports, and humanitarian groups warn that the situation will only deteriorate due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which produces almost a third of the wheat consumed in Yemen.
About 80% of its 30 million inhabitants depend on aid to survive more than seven years of a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, directly or indirectly.
The UN did not hide its disappointment after the donor conference failed to raise even a third of the target set to assist 17.3 million Yemenis.
The agency has repeatedly warned that humanitarian agencies are running out of funds and must cut life-saving programs.
“A funding gap means that people's needs will not be met,” said Auke Lootsma, Yemen representative of the UN Development Programme.
“The outlook for next year is very grim for Yemen. This is the most dismal situation we have had so far in the country,” he warned.
- Famine -
The war between the internationally recognized government, backed by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, and Houthi rebels close to Iran has placed the country on the brink of famine, the threat of which is increased by the price increase following the Ukrainian crisis.
Even before the invasion, the World Food Programme (WFP) said its food rations in Yemen had been reduced to eight million people this year, while another five million “at immediate risk of starvation” remained complete.
UN agencies warned during the donor conference that up to 19 million people would need food assistance in the second half of 2022.
“The 1.3 billion pledges at the conference of the more than 4,000 requested were a disappointment,” Abeer Etefa, WFP spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa, told AFP.
“We expected more, particularly from donors in the region who must step up and commit funds for a crisis in their backyard (...) If we act now, we can avoid what would be a point of no return and save millions,” he said.
Among those absent, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates stand out, members of the international pro-government coalition that stood on the donor podium at last year's conference.
- “More lives will be lost” -
“Some of Yemen's neighbors, also parties to the conflict, have so far not committed anything by 2022. We hope that this will change,” Erin Hutchinson, director for Yemen of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told AFP.
“This is a catastrophic outcome for the humanitarian response in Yemen. More people are in need this year in Yemen than in 2021. More lives will be lost,” he warned.
During Wednesday's donor conference, Saudis and Emiratis stressed the need to stop the “terrorist” actions of the Houthis. The representative of the Emirates accused the rebels of “obstructing and diverting aid”.
For its part, Saudi Arabia assured that it had contributed $19 billion in aid and development to Yemen in recent years.
“Coalition partners now seem to prefer to control their own funds for Yemen, rather than give it to the United Nations,” Elisabeth Kendall, a researcher at Oxford University, told AFP.
“This may be because the most impacted areas of Yemen are under Houthi control. It can be hard to accept to see aid flowing to areas where they are struggling,” he added.
According to Abdulghani al-Iryiani, a researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies in Sana'a, members of the coalition “seem to design their humanitarian response in a way that brings them the greatest political benefit, through their own organizations.”
The six Gulf Cooperation Council nations on Thursday assured that they maintain their intention to host negotiations between the two Yemeni sides in conflict in Saudi Arabia, even though the Houthi rebels refused to engage in dialogue “in an enemy country”.
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