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Yemen

Yemen faces economic freefall and devastating aid crisis after a decade of conflict

A decade after a Saudi-led coalition intervened to restore the internationally recognized government of Yemen to power, the country remains deeply divided, facing economic freefall and a devastating humanitarian crisis, Oxfam said today. 

Competing financial policies in the North and the South have caused economic collapse. Violations of human rights, the detention of humanitarian workers, and unacceptable conditions on aid imposed by the authorities in Sana’a have exacerbated suffering.  

In the South, despite strong international support, the internationally recognized government has failed to provide basic services or stabilise the currency. Over the last 10 years, the Yemeni rial has depreciated by more than 90 per cent in government-controlled areas – pushing basics like food, water, and health care out of reach for most Yemenis. This inflation is only worsening – the rial lost 30 per cent of its value in February alone. 

In the North, the Houthis have made it increasingly difficult and dangerous for the humanitarian community to operate and provide vital food, cash and other assistance. Their arbitrary and unlawful detention of Yemeni humanitarian workers and members of civil society has worsened the already difficult operating environment. Authorities should release all unlawfully held detainees, including Oxfam staff. 

The environment of restriction and fear imposed by the Houthis, coupled with the US government’s freeze of foreign assistance funding and imposition of heightened legal risks, have caused many humanitarian organisations to wind down their operations, leaving millions of people without the means to survive and without access to education and health services. Families are facing higher prices and reduced humanitarian assistance. 

Pauline Chetcuti, Oxfam International’s Head of Humanitarian Advocacy and Campaigns said: 

 “Yemenis deserve – and have the right – to live in safety, have access to food, water, health care and to lead on a path towards a peaceful future.   

“The last decade has been devastating for Yemenis, and we’ll only see these deadly consequences compounded without urgent action from authorities and the international community to allow the economy and the aid community to operate.” 

Education and healthcare services have been decimated, leaving millions without critically needed support, and civil servants without salaries. Health facilities across the country have been significantly impacted by the conflict; just 40 per cent are now only partially functioning or completely out of service due to shortages of staff, funds, electricity, medicines, and equipment. 

The war has destroyed much of Yemen’s critical infrastructure – the roads, bridges, markets, hospitals, schools, and private factories that powered Yemen’s economy. Though the frontlines have largely been frozen since the ceasefire in April 2022, competing monetary policies and the absence of a full political settlement have left more than 17 million people – nearly half of Yemen’s population – food insecure.  

Yemeni families are facing higher prices and reduced humanitarian assistance stemming from the US government’s designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The designation creates significant obstacles to life-saving humanitarian assistance and commercial imports of food and medicine. It also adds a barrier to the vital flow of remittances from Yemenis abroad to their families, which account for approximately a fifth of Yemen’s GDP; a vital part of Yemen’s social safety net. Yemenis need to see an end to the Houthis’ rights violations and international attacks, but this designation is unlikely to make that happen. Governments should support international accountability mechanisms for all parties to the conflict – and not penalise Yemeni families by cutting off lifesaving aid. 

The decade of conflict has killed over 19,000 people and displaced nearly five million people, disproportionately women and children. These figures will only grow as more legal and security barriers are placed on the economy and the aid community.  

Chetcuti said: “Regional and global powers should collaborate to support a genuine peace instead of supporting aligned factions and furthering their narrow political interests. Only through a Yemeni-led political process that includes women, youth, and civil society can Yemenis emerge from crisis and enjoy basic peace and security.” 

Notes to editors

  • Figures from Relief Web and UN.

  • The number of people estimated to experience food insecurity and malnutrition is expected to rise far beyond the figure listed above (17 million) due to global cuts to aid funding.

  • The 26 March 2015, is generally considered the start date of the international dimension of the conflict in Yemen with the start of airstrikes by the Saudi-led-coalition and reciprocated fighting by all parties, though it’s acknowledged the internal conflict started much earlier.

  • US is responsible for half of humanitarian programmes in Yemen which have stopped overnight, and the UK will taper its aid over a two-year period, with potential effects on humanitarian programming in Yemen.

Contact information

Rachel Scahevitz – [email protected] 

Oxfam reacts to failure to extend the truce in Yemen

In response to the failure to extend the truce in Yemen, Ferran Puig, Oxfam Country Director in Yemen said: 

“The end of the truce is terrible news for the people of Yemen. Millions will now be at risk if air strikes, ground shelling and missile attacks resume. 

‘’The past six months have brought hope to millions of Yemenis who have seen a 60 percent decrease in casualties, a significant reduction in violence, more fuel imports and much easier access to essential services and aid. In addition, fewer people have been forced from their homes. 

“Resumed fighting would further exacerbate the crisis and undermine the efforts towards the lasting peace Yemenis desperately need.

“We urge all parties to the conflict to listen to the demands of their people, who dream for a better tomorrow where they are able to rebuild their lives and future. Over seven years of conflict have devastated the lives of millions across the country, making it one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.”

Oxfam reaction to the Yemen truce extension

Responding to the Yemen truce extension, Abdulwasea Mohammed, Advocacy, Media and Campaigns Manager for Oxfam Yemen, said:

“Oxfam welcomes the extension of the truce in Yemen and urges all parties to now prioritise the lives of Yemeni civilians and uphold and fulfil all areas of the agreement.

“Millions of Yemenis are suffering due to rocketing food prices, a lack of health and other essential services and dwindling economic opportunities.

“The last four months have bought some hope. Now is the time for all parties – and the international community – to work towards a lasting and inclusive peace that guarantees the lives, dignity and freedom of the Yemeni people.”

 

Notes:

Press statement by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on a two-month renewal of the UN-mediated truce | OSESGY (unmissions.org)

Unprecedented spike in food prices puts Yemenis at risk of extreme hunger

Yemen is facing unprecedented rises in the price of food putting millions more people in danger of catastrophic hunger, Oxfam warned today.

Already exhausted by over seven years of conflict, Yemen has been hit hard by the worsening global food crises. The prices of wheat, flour, cooking oil, eggs and sugar have all increased by more than a third since March. Such price hikes haven’t been seen since the country was subject to a blockade and never for such a prolonged period.

Yemen imports 90 per cent of its food, including 42 per cent of its wheat from Ukraine. Importers have warned that stocks may run out in the coming months and that global increase in costs will challenge their ability to secure wheat imports into Yemen. Even after last week’s welcome announcement that Ukraine will be able to export grains, the effects of the major disruption in the food supply will be felt for some time to come. Any drop in global prices could well be short-lived and may not translate into a reduction in cost for ordinary Yemenis. In a country where many people depend on bread for most of their daily food to survive, this could push millions towards starvation.

Ferran Puig, Oxfam in Yemen Country Director, said: “This unprecedented rise in food prices threatens the lives of millions of people who are now in real danger of starvation.

“Families who have been pushed to the brink by seven years of conflict are being tipped over the edge as the prices of basic food rises beyond their reach.

“World leaders must act immediately to prevent catastrophic hunger and a worsening humanitarian crisis.”

A temporary extension to the Yemen-wide truce in June has bought some relief, but the situation remains volatile and this, coupled with a wider economic crisis, rising food prices and an ailing agricultural sector – due in large part to the effects of climate change – is making life even harder for the Yemeni people – nearly 80 per cent of whom are in need of humanitarian assistance while the humanitarian response remains only 27 per cent funded.

Between March and June this year, the price of basic foods increased by up to 45 per cent.

  • Flour increased by 38 per cent
  • Cooking oil increased by 45 per cent
  • Sugar increased by 36 per cent
  • Rice increased by 30 per cent
  • Canned beans increased by 38 per cent
  • Powder milk increased by 36 per cent
  • Eggs increased by 35 per cent

The average national price of the Minimum Food Basket (MFB) has increased by 48 per cent since December 2021 and 25 per cent since the start of the year, with the increasing costs of food imports further exacerbated by exchange rate fluctuations. Yemen’s national currency, the rial, has lost its value by 28 per cent since the beginning of the year.

Petrol and diesel prices also increased by 43 per cent in the first quarter of the year. Increased cost of fuel and an unseasonable drought caused by rising temperatures globally have caused more suffering, especially for farmers. Many Yemenis depend on agriculture and livestock as a main source of income but have seen their crops damaged or delayed and livestock dying during the current drought.

As the need grows, the lack of resources to respond comes with devastating consequences. The World Food Program has been forced to reduce the amount of aid it provides, with five million recipients of food aid now set to receive less than half of their daily calorie requirement. Eight million will receive just 25 per cent.

Families told Oxfam that to survive they are having to borrow from better-off neighbors, go into debt with food sellers, and skip meals so their children can have more to eat.

Around 56 per cent of the four million internally displaced people have no source of income at all. Women and children who make up around 77 per cent of the displaced population are at greatest risk of starvation.

Arwa, a divorced mother of two who also cares for her mother and sister said: “I struggle to afford basic food due to high prices. My mother and I reduce how much we eat, and only have two meals a day, so the children have enough. Before we could have chicken or fish every other day, or meat once a week, now we barely afford to have chicken once a week and prices of vegetables increased so we can’t afford even half of what we could last year.”

Oxfam in Yemen is supporting people to earn a living, providing basic services like clean water, sanitation, cash, and establishing solar energy at household and community levels. In 2021 we were able to help more than 23,000 households.

Oxfam is calling for the international community to facilitate the import of food supplies into Yemen by reducing obstacles, financing grain imports, and providing debt relief for Yemen.

Above all, Yemen needs a permanent end to conflict so people can safely live, learn, and earn a living. We are calling on all parties to extend the truce in the coming days as part of the path towards a sustainable peace.

Notes to editors

Source for per cent of grain imports: Yemen humanitarian response plan, April 2022: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-plan-2022-april-2022

WFP statement, July 4 2022: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-high-levels-food-insecurity-and-reduced-rations-dg-echo-ipc-wfp-media-echo-daily-flash-04-july-2022

WFP beneficiaries in IPC phase four and five will now receive less than 50 per cent of their daily calorie requirement. The remaining eight million will receive just 25 per cent.

Escalating death, destitution and destruction as Yemeni civilians left to bear brunt of 7-year war

The human cost of the war in Yemen is rising sharply as the conflict enters its eighth year, with the number of civilian deaths increasing sharply, hunger on the rise and three quarters of the population in urgent need of humanitarian support, Oxfam warned today.

The international agency said another year of war would bring unimaginable suffering to civilians ―almost two-thirds of Yemenis will go hungry this year unless the warring parties lay down their arms or the international community steps in to fill a massive gap in the appeal budget. This year’s aid program is currently 70 percent underfunded, providing just 15 cents per day per person needing help.

The escalating cost of war includes:

  • 4 million people are currently going hungry, with predictions this will rise to 19 million by the end of the year (62 percent of the population and an increase of more than 8 million since the conflict started).
  • 8 million more people need humanitarian assistance than did in 2015, the first year of the conflict.
  • Since UN human rights monitoring was withdrawn in October 2021 the civilian casualty rate has doubled, now reaching well over 14,500 casualties.
  • 24,000 airstrikes have damaged 40 percent of all housing in cities during the conflict.
  • During the last seven years, over four million people have been forced to flee from violence.

The Ukraine crisis has exacerbated the situation, raising concerns over supplies of grain and cooking oil. Yemen imports 42 percent of its grain from Ukraine and Oxfam has been told prices have already started to rise. In Sana’a bread went up 35 percent over the week that fighting broke out (200 Yemeni Rial to 270 Yemeni Rial).

Ali Hassan Hadi from Hajah, who has two children suffering from malnutrition, said: “Sometimes my children sleep hungry. If we have lunch, then we skip dinner. We have to cope with the situation. Sometimes we only eat bread, other times we eat cooked food. Mostly we do not eat well.”

Seven long years of war have also caused a fuel crisis. Prices have risen 543 percent since 2019, trebling in just the last three months. Queues at petrol stations are so long that it can take three days to reach the forecourt.

The increase in fuel prices has a knock-on effect, increasing prices of essential items such as food, water and medicines making them unaffordable for many who are already struggling to meet their daily needs. It is also causing a reduction in humanitarian aid deliveries to more remote areas as the fuel prices have increased so much some remote communities are now experiencing a reduced delivery of water and sanitation support.

Oxfam’s Country Director in Yemen, Ferran Puig said: “After seven years of war, Yemenis are desperate for peace – instead they are facing yet more death and destruction. Violence and hunger are on the increase once more and millions of people cannot get the basics their families need.

“People can’t afford to pump water to irrigate their crops and in remote areas where people rely on trucked drinking water, they can’t afford to pay increased prices meaning they have to use water that is not safe to drink. City dwellers in some areas are experiencing electricity cuts of 10-12 hours a day ―those who have them are relying on solar panels to charge mobile phones and supply a small amount of power.”

Farmers are unable to afford to transport produce to markets, causing prices of fresh produce to rise even further. Buses and motorbike taxis are becoming unaffordable leaving many unable to pay the cost of transport to healthcare facilities and other life-saving services. Health facilities across the country could soon be forced to shut off life-saving equipment because of lack of fuel. During the last few days, local media in Taiz have reported that the Al Thawra hospital has stopped its operations due to the fuel shortage.

Government employees have not been paid since the end of 2016. The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with new restrictive regulations has reduced the number of Yemenis able to work in Saudi Arabia and send money to relatives at home. A spiralling currency devaluation means that what little income people may have buys less and less every day forcing Oxfam and other aid agencies to regularly increase the cash transfers they provide to support vulnerable families.

Civilian deaths and injuries in the conflict have doubled since the UN body responsible for monitoring violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen was removed in October of last year. There have been over 14,554 civilian casualties since recording by the Civilian Impact Monitoring project started in 2017. During the last seven years there have been over 24,600 airstrikes across Yemen. In the last few months, shifting frontlines have led to an increase in landmine deaths and injuries around Marib where retreating forces lay them to slow down their opponents. Civilians using mined roads or gathering firewood in contested land are often victims.

Yemenis faced with these problems are forced to resort to cope any way they can. People live in a cycle of debt, increasing numbers are resorting to begging.

Puig said: “Yemen desperately needs a lasting peace so people can rebuild their lives and livelihoods. Without peace the cycle of misery will continue and deepen. Until then, adequate funding for humanitarian aid is critical.”

 

Notes

The international escalation of conflict in Yemen occurred on 26 March 2015. 

Fuel price increase information up to mid-February: on the unofficial market, diesel is selling for US$40 for 20 litres in the North of Yemen while in the government-controlled Southern areas sources say official prices were raised by 26 percent in mid-January to 17,700 Yemeni rial (YR) for 20 litres (US$70) while sources put unofficial prices at around 28,000-30,000 YR for 20 litres ($111-120). The price of 20 litres of cooking gas has more than trebled in Northern Yemen ―prices are now 17000YR (US$28) on the unofficial market compared the official price of 4750YR (around US$8). 

Impact of fuel crisis on food availability.

Displacement figures. 4279 households = 25,674 people.

Hunger figure of 19 million and 75 percent of population will need assistance this year.

Aid needs: 15.9 million people needed humanitarian assistance – today the figure is 20.7 million.

IPC hunger forecast 2022.

IPC Hunger 2014.

Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview 2015.

Figure for aid per person = $1.3 billion pledged for 2022 divided by 22.8 million (75 percent of 30.3 million population) = $57 per person in need per year = 15 cents per day for each person in need.

Number of airstrikes in Yemen.

Housing in cities damage.

Yemen: Rise in airstrikes and landmines add to misery for civilians in Marib after year of increased conflict

One year after the battle for Yemen’s resource rich Marib governorate escalated, the humanitarian situation has worsened as shifting frontlines, airstrikes and landmines displace nearly 100,000 people, many of whom have already fled multiple times.

Last month 43 airstrikes hit civilian targets, representing more than a fifth of all airstrikes in the Marib area since fighting increased in February last year. Most of these were on houses and farms, destroying homes and businesses that will take many years to rebuild.

Oxfam’s Yemen Country Director Muhsin Siddiquey said:

“This escalation in conflict, displacement and death that we are seeing in Marib is a snapshot of the suffering faced by communities across Yemen. Ordinary people who have sought refuge in a place once described as an oasis of calm have become collateral damage in a protracted conflict. The only way out of this is for the warring parties to meet and negotiate a permanent peace settlement.” 

Civilians also face danger from missiles and shells fired from the ground as well as landmines and improvised explosive devices. Eight civilians were killed by landmines in Marib governorate in January 2022 compared with five for the whole of 2021, reflecting a worrying rise in the use of these outlawed weapons. Landmines are often placed along roads and tracks across farmland leading to Marib city that are used by civilians bringing in goods to sell and migrants travelling through Yemen.

Siddiquey said:

“Landmines are barbaric. They don’t distinguish between civilians and combatants and their threat, together with unexploded bombs and shells, hangs over communities for decades until they are de-activated. One key road leading to Marib is now a no-go area.  Children have been killed while tending farm animals and even gathering firewood can be deadly. I am particularly worried by reports that records are not kept of where landmines are laid.”

According to UN figures, over one million displaced people live in Marib governorate, either with locals or in one of between 120 and 150 formal and informal sites. However local authorities put the figure at close to two million. Of these, many have now been displaced five or six times.  

Salem* and his family live in Alswidan camp on the outskirts of Marib. He said:

 “People in the camp are always afraid of military actions that could hit them anytime. We all live in anxiety. I can’t even leave the camp for a short time. I live with fear about my family and my family sleep and wake up frightened.”

The UN estimates that 85 per cent of displaced families are unable to pay rent on a regular basis as opportunities to earn money are scarce. Many are anxious about being evicted since some nine in 10 of the settlements are built on private land without occupancy agreements. Rental prices in Marib city have soared after the recent wave of displacements.

The spiralling currency depreciation coupled with an ongoing fuel crisis has seen prices of food, fuel and medicines more than double. Many people are forced to borrow money and are trapped in a cycle of debt, unable to afford their basic needs.

Yemen is now in its fourth wave of Covid and many displaced people lack access to basic facilities such as latrines and clean water.  Nearly eight years on from the start of the conflict only about half of healthcare facilities are still operating leaving two out of three Yemenis without access to health services.

Oxfam is working in Marib to improve water supplies, provide latrines and to provide cash transfers so families can buy basic essentials.  During the last year Oxfam helped 95,928 people in Marib including providing access to drinking water for 60,000 and cash transfers to 14,875.

The United Nations has issued a statement reminding warring parties that being at war does not absolve them of their obligations under international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits disproportionate attacks and requires that all feasible precautions be taken to avoid civilian harm.

Since the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen – the UN appointed body responsible for monitoring human rights abuses in Yemen – was disbanded in October last year there is no international monitoring of human rights violations. All parties in Yemen’s protracted conflict have been responsible for civilian casualties.  

A boy plays with a goat in Yemen
A father sits with his young son against a green background
Salem and his family live in the Alswidan camp on the outskirts of Maribl, Yemen. Photos: Kaff Media, Oxfam

Notes

Copyright © 2024 Oxfam Aotearoa.

Oxfam is a worldwide development organisation that mobilises the power of people against injustice. Oxfam Aotearoa is a registered charity with the New Zealand Charities Register (registration CC24641). Donations are tax refundable.

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