Daijiworld Media Network - Sanaa
Sanaa, Apr 20: The humanitarian situation in Yemen is worsening rapidly, with malnutrition emerging as a “crisis within the crisis,” warned Doctors Without Borders (MSF), as the war-torn nation grapples with disease outbreaks, aid shortages, and escalating military strikes.
"Malnutrition has extremely amplified the vulnerability of Yemen's population," said Illaria Rasulo, MSF's head of mission in Yemen, in a stark video message posted on social media platform X. “2024 was already a very tough year with an acute watery diarrhea outbreak, record malnutrition cases in our facilities, and surges of measles, polio, and diphtheria.”
The warning comes amid growing fears of further health emergencies in 2025, as many aid organizations are scaling back or withdrawing operations due to international funding cuts, including a freeze on US development assistance.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order pausing US foreign aid for 90 days, further straining humanitarian operations in Yemen. The move coincided with mounting tensions between the US and the Houthi movement, exacerbated by the resumption of American airstrikes on Houthi-held areas.
Following the Houthis’ renewed threats to strike Israeli targets in protest against the blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the US launched retaliatory air raids starting March 15. The most devastating strike to date occurred on Thursday night, when American forces bombed the Houthi-controlled Ras Isa fuel port, killing at least 80 and injuring over 150, according to Houthi-run health authorities.
The violence intensified further on Saturday with 29 new US airstrikes in northern Yemen. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee, vowed retaliation, while the raids drew sharp condemnation from Iran and human rights groups.
With aid pipelines drying up and violence escalating, MSF and other NGOs fear that Yemen’s already fragile health system may buckle completely. “This is a dramatic humanitarian situation, and with the expected outbreaks in 2025, the suffering will only increase if the international community fails to act,” Rasulo said.