UN Report: One Million More Yemenis to Face Acute Food Insecurity by Early 2026
Published in the May 2025 edition of the "Yemen Market and Trade Bulletin," the report highlights a worsening crisis across both northern and southern regions, driven by rising food and fuel prices, currency collapse, declining remittances and oil exports, and deteriorating purchasing power.
The FAO noted that the exchange rate in government-controlled areas has reached 2,533 Yemeni rials per U.S. dollar, fueling repeated spikes in basic commodity prices. Meanwhile, Houthi-controlled areas are grappling with poor agricultural forecasts and stagnant wages, further eroding household resilience.
The report also warns that expected floods, ongoing conflict, and suspended food aid could deepen the crisis, particularly in northern Yemen. The FAO urged international donors to provide emergency funding, expand cash assistance programs, and ease trade restrictions that hinder the flow of goods.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Sahwa
a day ago
- Al Sahwa
Shocking figures and serious crimes: A decade of systemized Houthi destruction of the national economy
In a significant press statement, Muammar al-Eryani, Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, revealed to the Yemeni people a nearly comprehensive vision of the state of the national economy. This came more than ten years after the racist, terrorist Houthi militia coup, which targeted the state, its institutions, and the free will of the people. The minister presented horrific figures revealing the shocking extent of the damage inflicted on the economy as a result of the systemized Houthi practices. Al-Eryani said in a press statement published by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) on Wednesday that "the terrorist Houthi militia, which receives support from the Iranian regime, has embezzled more than $103 billion of the Yemeni people's money and resources since its coup in September 2014, turning its leaders into 'war profiteers', while millions of Yemenis in areas under their control suffer from tragic humanitarian conditions." Al-Eryani explained that Houthi leaders have amassed vast fortunes through looting and corruption, purchasing luxurious palaces and villas in the capital, Sana'a, and the governorates of Saada, Amran, and Dhamar, in addition to building towers and fake companies, and pumping large investments into Iran and Lebanon, while leaving millions of citizens prey to hunger and extreme poverty. Al-Eryani pointed out that the militia leaders have transformed from "highway robbers" to those controlling the country's most important economic sectors. Militia leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi, his relatives, and close associates such as Muhammad Abdul Salam, have seized control of oil and gas companies and the telecommunications sector. Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, meanwhile, has taken over the property of citizens through the so-called "judicial guardian," diverting it to private projects. Mahdi al-Mashat and his associates have also seized real estate and land in strategic areas in Sana'a. Ahmed Hamed has transformed the presidential office into a corruption empire that controls contracts and tenders. He pointed out that the militia has taken over the oil, gas, and telecommunications trade, eliminated the private sector, seized humanitarian aid, and imposed taxes and fees on all economic activities, from major merchants to street vendors. The Yemeni minister explained that the Houthi group, despite its enormous wealth, refuses to pay the salaries of state employees in the areas it controls. The bill for these salaries is estimated at 25 billion riyals per month ($50 million), or nearly $600 million annually. This confirms that the group's behavior represents an organized strategy to impoverish, starve, and humiliate the Yemeni people. He emphasized that the militia has not spent these billions over ten years on wages, services, or raising citizens' living standards, but rather invested them in establishing investments and commercial companies in the oil fields, real estate, and import and export. The goal was to tighten its grip on the private sector and subjugate it, and to increase the wealth of its leaders and inflate their assets, both inside and outside the country. This is in addition to providing financial support to the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian armed groups in the region. A Decade of Serious Violations: For many years, the Houthi militia has been exerting stifling pressure on the Yemeni economy using every available means. Meanwhile, government reform efforts have been in vain, as the Houthis have obstructed all attempts to revive the economy. In its first steps, embodying the Houthis' rebel gang's dominance and demonstrating its criminal and racist nature after it invaded Sana'a in September 2014, the militia looted $5 billion from the central bank's reserves. In addition, it seized a $2 billion Saudi deposit intended to stabilize the Yemeni currency. It then raided the public treasury, pocketing 400 billion Yemeni riyals of it. It also seized treasury and sovereign bonds, along with their expected interest, totaling over five trillion Yemeni riyals, equivalent to approximately nine billion US dollars. Thus, the process of seizing funds and destroying the national economy began, a process that continues to this day. Over the years of the coup and war, the Houthi militia has not ceased committing economic crimes, which can be described as organized looting and illicit enrichment. These actions call for international accountability and the prosecution of the terrorist militia's leaders before competent international courts. This also requires designating the Houthis as a terrorist group, as they use looted funds to finance terrorism and prolong the suffering of the Yemeni people, according to Al-Eryani's statements last month. Countless crimes: Economic expert Wahid al-Fowdai believes that counting the Houthis' actions since seizing power is extremely difficult. He explains that it is not limited to traditional corrupt practices, but rather amounts to a systematic destruction of the state's economic and financial foundations. In a statement to al-Fowdai draws attention to the Houthi militia's plunder of state revenues in the areas it controls, including taxes, customs, and oil and gas revenues, diverting them to the war effort instead of directing them to public spending. Al-Fawdai lists the most prominent criminal acts committed by the Houthi militia against the national economy and its deliberate sabotage, most notably: seizing reserve funds and implementing counterproductive policies, including preventing the circulation of the new issue of the local currency, to imposing a financial siege on the areas subject to the legitimacy and fueling monetary fragmentation between the two regions, the areas of legitimacy and the areas of the Houthis, in addition to issuing illegal money and the resulting damages. He indicates that the Houthi militia has deliberately undermined the financial system, forcing banks not to relocate their main offices to Aden. The group has also resorted to repressive methods of central Houthi control and imposed virtual restrictions on financial transfers, leading to a dangerous monetary divide. Houthi corruption and seizure of public and private funds: In addition to corruption, theft, and systemized sabotage of government economic institutions, economic expert Wahid al-Fawdai points out that the Houthi militia has seized private sector funds and property, imposed illegal taxes, obstructed trade through multiple customs procedures, and seized the assets of its political opponents through its judicial apparatus. He spoke about the catastrophe caused by the Houthi militia through its politicization of the state's economic institutions and its exploitation of them to serve the de facto authority, weakening the economy's ability to operate according to market standards. Al-Fawdai explained that the Houthi militia has managed the economy with a war mentality, feeding the black market with oil derivatives and currency, in addition to destroying confidence in the formal banking sector. The role of the government and the international community: Regarding the duties imposed on the legitimate authorities, represented by the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni government, in light of the crimes committed by the Houthi militia against the national economy, the accompanying destruction of national foundations and resources, in addition to the rampant corruption, al-Fawdai stated that the desired role of the legitimate authorities is to regain control over the state's sovereign resources, achieve unification of monetary policies, establish a strong financial oversight system, and activate unified official channels for state revenues. The economic expert stressed the need to activate transparency and accountability mechanisms, begin implementing an economic reconstruction plan, and halt the ongoing financial deterioration. This should also include effective diplomatic efforts to stem the flow of funds to the Houthi, both domestically and internationally. In his recent statements, Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani called on the international community and the United Nations to take a firm stance that goes beyond mere verbal condemnation. This includes drying up the militia's sources of funding, freezing its assets and those of its leaders abroad, pursuing its financial networks and commercial companies, and tightening controls on the flow of funds through UN and international organizations. This ensures that these organizations are deprived of any resources and that they are directed towards providing real support to Yemenis and alleviating the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Al Sahwa
a day ago
- Al Sahwa
Houthi Militia's Systematic Destruction of Yemen's Economy Exposed
Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Muammar al-Eryani, has revealed shocking figures on the economic impact of the Houthi militia's systematic practices since its coup in 2014. According to Al-Eryani, the militia has looted over $103 billion of the Yemeni people's money and resources, with its leaders accumulating enormous wealth from looting and corruption. The Houthi leaders have used their illicit wealth to buy palaces, villas, and build towers, while millions of Yemenis live in catastrophic humanitarian conditions. The militia has monopolized the oil, gas, and telecommunications trade, swept away the private sector, and imposed taxes and tributes on all economic activities. Al-Eryani stressed that the Houthi militia's refusal to pay state employees' salaries, despite its huge resources, confirms its systematic policy to impoverish, starve, and humiliate Yemenis. The minister emphasized that the militia's actions are aimed at tightening control over the private sector, enriching its leaders, and providing financial support to Iranian-backed militias in the region.
Yemen Online
2 days ago
- Yemen Online
Yemen : Grundberg Voices Alarm Over Houthi Escalation, Urges Proactive and Pragmatic Measures
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has expressed deep concern over the Houthis' escalation against commercial shipping, and along frontlines with government forces, stressing the need for 'proactive and pragmatic' steps to pave the way for peace. Briefing the UN Security Council, proactive and pragmatic Grundberg said his recent efforts had focused on reducing tensions on the ground, establishing a pathway for talks between the parties, and boosting regional and international support for stability in Yemen. While frontlines had been relatively quiet, he noted troubling incidents, most notably a major July 25 attack on the Al-Aleb front in Saada governorate, which caused heavy casualties on both sides. He pointed to Houthi military build-ups around the port city of Hodeidah as evidence of the need for effective de-escalation and security dialogue. The UN-facilitated Military Coordination Committee, he said, remains vital in discussing ways to reduce tensions and prepare for future ceasefire negotiations. Grundberg stressed that commitment to the December 2023 roadmap requires ongoing confidence-building measures and improvements to daily life. He praised civil society efforts to open key roads, including one linking Al-Bayda and Abyan provinces, and called for the swift reopening of other vital routes to ease travel and trade. On the economy, he warned Yemen urgently needs reforms to ensure the flow of goods and services, adding that continued escalation and economic fragmentation 'benefit no one' and weigh heavily on families and the private sector. He commended the Central Bank and government in Aden for stabilizing the currency and prices of basic goods, expressing hope this marks the start of a sustainable recovery. On the other hand, the UN envoy criticized Houthi unilateral moves, including issuing new 50-rial coins and 200-rial banknotes, as deepening the fragmentation of Yemen's currency and complicating future unification talks. Dialogue, he insisted, is the only path to lasting solutions. The envoy underscored the need for full compliance with the UN arms embargo, citing the recent interception of a large weapons shipment from Iran to the Houthis. He urged the group to allow the immediate return of surviving crew members from the MV Rubymar, sunk in the Red Sea last month in attacks claimed by the Houthis. Linking the escalation to the Gaza conflict, Grundberg warned Yemen must be shielded from regional turmoil. Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, missile strikes on Israel, and Israeli responses have, he said, devastated port facilities under Houthi control, tripled cargo discharge times in Al-Salif, and sharply reduced vessel traffic. He also condemned the continued detention of 23 UN staff and other humanitarian and diplomatic workers, calling it 'unacceptable' and demanding their unconditional release. A sustainable solution for Yemen, he said, is 'not only possible but urgent.'
