WFP: Yemenis trapped in dire need of food

The World Food Program (WFP) has warned that about a quarter of Yemen population is in dire need of food assistance over the political crisis in the country. “A WFP food security survey revealed almost one quarter of the Yemeni population needs emergency food assistance now," said the UN agency Yemen representative Lubna Alaman. "Hunger is on the increase in Yemen and rising food prices combined with conflict are taking their toll on many families," she added. The survey was conducted in November and December last year, interviewing almost 8,000 households in 19 out of 21 governorates in Yemen. According to the survey, 22 percent of the population, which is around five million people, are in need of food assistance while another five million are at the risk of becoming food insecure. The rate of hunger is nearly double the level of severe food insecurity occurred in 2009, and above the threshold at which external food aid is normally required. "A further five million people are moderately food insecure, and at risk of becoming severely food insecure in the face of rising food and fuel prices and conflict," reported in the survey. WFP also stated that it has increased its humanitarian aid in 2012 to supply the needs of 3.6 million Yemenis affected by rising prices and the conflicts across the country. With political crisis pushing the country's economy into poor and terrible situation, UN agencies warned in December that Yemen is on its way to becoming another Somalia as they found one in three children acutely malnourished in Hodeidah and Hajjah. The WFP survey's final report on dire malnutrition rates in Yemen, called ‘alarming,’ will be released next month.