International warnings of the humanitarian repercussions of the recent Houthi escalation in Yemen have expanded, with the Yemeni government in New York moving to mobilize urgent international support for the health, food and development sectors, in conjunction with the United Kingdom’s announcement of providing 10 million pounds sterling in response to the emergency humanitarian appeal for Yemen.
During a series of meetings and events on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Minister Afrah Al-Zouba focused on the growing repercussions of the Houthi escalation on civilians, displaced people, and basic services, warning that the continuation of the fighting exacerbates the pressure on a health system that already suffers from limited resources.
Afrah Al-Zouba said, during her participation in a high-level event organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), that the government faces a double challenge: maintaining basic health services, providing medicines and vaccines, and at the same time responding to the increasing needs of the displaced as a result of the recent escalation.
The Minister indicated that the escalation led to the displacement of thousands of civilians, and forced some families to be displaced for the third or fourth time, adding new burdens to the limited resources and public budget, and obstructing plans to develop health services.
It warned that Houthi practices impede vaccines from reaching children in areas under the group's control, despite the availability of ready stocks for distribution. She said that the detention of health workers on the grounds of supporting child immunization campaigns threatens disease prevention efforts and doubles health risks.
She confirmed that the Ministry of Health is working on preparing the national health strategy for the period 2026-2030, which places primary health care, maternal and child health, nutrition, immunization, and building a health system capable of withstanding and responding to crises among its priorities.
Afrah Al-Zouba called on the international community to continue supporting Yemeni children and strengthen the partnership with the government, warning that the recent escalation threatens what has been achieved over the past years in the field of health services, and increases pressure on the health system.
Food, displaced people, and kidnapped people
In another meeting with the Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Karl Skau, the Minister discussed developments in food security and the increasing needs of displaced people and affected communities, stressing the need to ensure that food and relief aid reaches its beneficiaries in a safe, regular and unhindered manner.
According to what the government reported, it reviewed what it described as violations that affected civilians, camps for displaced people, and humanitarian facilities, in addition to the looting of food and medical supplies, and the resulting loss of families of their homes and sources of livelihood and the exacerbation of their basic needs.
She stressed the importance of mobilizing additional resources to finance humanitarian programs, especially with the expanding needs among displaced families. She also called for the release of United Nations and humanitarian workers detained by the Houthis, ensuring their safety and enabling them to perform their duties.
Skaw stressed that the World Food Program will continue to provide support to the Yemeni people and coordinate with the government and partners to enhance food security and respond to humanitarian needs.
In her meeting with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spolijaric Egger, Afrah Al-Zuba discussed the humanitarian situation and the repercussions of the escalation, in addition to the Committee’s activities and field projects in the Yemeni governorates.
The Yemeni minister warned of the continued pressure imposed by the Houthi group on international organizations and humanitarian workers, stressing the government's readiness to provide the necessary facilities for the work of the committee and its offices in Yemen.
It gave the file of detainees and abductees a clear priority, calling on the International Committee of the Red Cross to intensify its efforts and put pressure to enable it to visit detainees held by the Houthis and check on their conditions.
From relief to recovery
On the development side, Afrah Al-Zouba discussed with the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, Jorge Moreira da Silva, ways to support the government’s priorities in infrastructure, basic services, and recovery and sustainable development projects.
The meeting discussed the repercussions of the recent developments in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab on the living and economic conditions in Yemen, at a time when the government seeks to direct international interventions towards long-impact projects, instead of limiting the response to humanitarian emergencies.
The Minister stressed the importance of strengthening the partnership with United Nations agencies and directing their interventions in line with the priorities of the government’s plans, while the UN official stressed continuing to support development and recovery efforts, and enhancing coordination to implement priority projects.
At a high-level meeting on the Global Development Initiative, Afrah Al-Zouba called on the international community and finance and development institutions to transform pledges into concrete projects and programs in the infrastructure, health, education, water and energy sectors, in addition to supporting economic recovery and job creation.
In conjunction with the Yemeni action in New York, the United Kingdom announced the provision of an emergency aid package worth 10 million pounds sterling in response to the United Nations emergency appeal on Yemen.
The British government said that the funding will be allocated to provide food, health care, and support urgent vaccinations for the displaced and those affected by the recent escalation.
British Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, Stephen Doty, said that the Houthi escalation had devastating effects, undermined the stability of the region, and led to civilian deaths, stressing that the new aid targets the most vulnerable Yemeni groups affected by recent developments.
Taha, a four-year-old Yemeni boy, did not have time to think about what he could take with him when his family had to flee the Houthi attack on Al-Mokha District towards Aden. In one moment, survival became the only priority.
The family left behind their home and everything they owned, but their escape journey did not end upon arrival. Today, Fatha suffers from severe acute malnutrition, while his mother carries a fear that has accompanied her all the way.
When a representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) met her, she said her only fear was that she would lose her son before finding help. The situation of the child and his family presents a picture of the reality that thousands of Yemeni families are experiencing with the renewed violence, as they find themselves forced to face fear and hunger at the same time.
UNICEF warned that children continue to bear the brunt of the conflict, in light of what it described as a “vicious cycle” that is repeated as violence continues. Conflict exacerbates hunger, and hunger in turn makes children more vulnerable to the consequences of conflict.
According to UN data, out of about 2,900 children examined by UNICEF last week in the areas it was able to reach, it was found that one child in four suffers from acute malnutrition.
Even before the recent Houthi escalation, estimates indicated that about 2.2 million Yemeni children under the age of five would suffer from acute malnutrition during the current year.
Hunger was not the only thing that haunted children. Over the past three weeks, more than 180,000 people have been displaced, including an estimated 71,000 children.
Government sources expected the number of displaced people as a result of the recent Houthi escalation to rise to about 200,000 during the current week, which means thousands of children will join the number of previous displaced people.
In the face of these increasing needs, UNICEF expanded its emergency response in the country to reach about 231,000 people, through mobile health and nutrition teams, providing safe water, and supporting health facilities, in addition to providing child protection services.
Taiz is at the top
In the latest official data, the Government Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons' Camps confirmed that the total number of forcibly displaced families as a result of the military escalation had risen to 27,413 families, including 180,513 individuals, as of September 23, and said that they were distributed among ten governorates in the country.
According to the report, Taiz Governorate topped the list of hosting areas by registering 13,409 families, including 93,917 individuals, followed by Lahj with 5,782 families, Aden with 3,741 families, Abyan with 2,157 families, and Al-Hudaydah with 1,471 families, some of which witnessed a new displacement movement towards Aden, in addition to the registration of hundreds of other families in the governorates of Ma’rib, Al-Dhalea, Al-Mahra and Hadhramaut. And Shabwa.
The report confirmed that the conditions of sudden and forced displacement deprived most families of securing their basic needs, which led to a widening of the humanitarian gap and a decline in the ability of host communities to respond.
Severe deficiency
The Displaced Persons Camp Management Unit alerted of an acute and critical shortage of emergency shelter supplies, food supplies, clean drinking water, and sanitation services, in addition to the deterioration of health care and protection services directed to the most vulnerable groups, primarily children, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
She said that in the face of this worsening situation, she renewed her appeal to local authorities, international and UN organizations, and donors to quickly provide life-saving aid and activate rapid response mechanisms without delay.
The government unit stressed the utmost importance of providing food baskets, emergency shelter, and direct cash support, in addition to supporting the water, health, and basic services sectors in new displacement sites and gatherings, to alleviate the suffering of those affected and preserve their human dignity.
The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, called on the people for general mobilization and national mobilization, to rally around the armed and security forces, to join their ranks through official channels, and to contribute everything they can to the defense of their republic and their national institutions against the terrorist Houthi militia.
Al-Alimi announced, in a speech to the people on the occasion of the anniversary of the September 26 Revolution, the opening of the door to the safe return of those who were deceived to the side of the republic and constitutional legitimacy, based on the state’s responsibility to spare the blood of the Yemenis, put an end to the war, and prevent acts of revenge and vengeance.
The President explained that everyone who takes the initiative, as of Friday, to leave the Houthi militia, and stop fighting in its ranks or working for it, will be subject to a comprehensive amnesty issued later in accordance with constitutional and legal procedures, with a commitment to regularizing the conditions of members of the army and security, in a way that preserves their legally acquired job rights.
Al-Alimi stressed that “this is the historic moment for all Yemenis to rise up, return our country to its proper path among nations, and triumph for the sacrifices of the first generation of heroic fighters, human dignity, and the right of their sons and daughters to security, education, and work, and a future free of violence and cross-border racist and sectarian militia projects.”
The President asked the brotherly and friendly countries that want security and stability in Yemen and the Red Sea to “stand by our people, their government, and their armed forces, and to support the Saudi-led coalition to rid our country of the terrorist Houthi militia,” considering that restoring state institutions “is not only a Yemeni interest, but an interest for all countries in the region and the world.”
Al-Alimi stressed that “Yemen deserves a future worthy of its history, location, and the potential of its people, and to be at the forefront of beneficiaries of the renaissance and prosperity of the countries of the region, not an arena for chaos, or a platform for pre-state projects, myths of divine right, and a threat to the security of neighboring countries and regional and international peace.”
The President added that the serious attacks and violations carried out by the Houthis today represent a dangerous escalation, and place the state’s leadership before its constitutional and moral responsibility to deter the threat and protect civilians, after these militias once again chose the logic of force and weapons, instead of the language of dialogue and peace.
Al-Alimi pointed out that what the areas in Taiz, Marib, Al-Jawf, Hodeidah, Lahj, Hadramaut, Al-Bayda, Shabwa, and Al-Dhalea are witnessing is an extension of the approach of sabotage, and an attempt to impose a new reality by force at the expense of the blood of the Yemenis, their security, and the future of their homeland. He warned that the danger does not stop there, as “the Houthi project aims to transform our land and coasts into a continuous threat to the security of Yemen and the entire region.”
The president continued: “Experience has proven that making concessions to the militias does not lead to peace, but rather gives them an opportunity to reorganize their ranks, prepare for a new round of escalation, and return the nation to the whirlpool of war and senseless conflicts,” stressing that the Houthis were the ones who started the escalation at home and across the border, and caused the killing of civilians and the terrorization and starvation of the Yemeni people, and that the state will take all measures to protect civilians, civil peace, and the highest interests of the country.
Al-Alimi said: “The great national battles are not measured by progress here or retreat there, nor by a location that changes one day, but rather by clarity of purpose, solidity of will, and the ability to transform crises into opportunities, and challenges into additional reasons for strength and cohesion,” stressing that “the goal is clear to everyone, which is to restore state institutions and extend its sovereignty over its entire national territory, all the way to Sanaa.”
The President addressed the citizens, both male and female, in governorates forcibly under the control of the militias, saying: “You were, and still are, at the heart of the state’s responsibility, because you are more than able to bear the bitterness of this war, but this suffering should not become a permanent fate for you,” adding: “It is time for this long chapter of suffering to end, and for the Yemeni family to regain its security, tranquility, and normal life.”
Al-Alimi continued: “The state does not view you as a party to a conflict, but rather as its people, partners, and holders of the first right to peace and stability, and what was imposed on you by force of arms cannot detract from your status, nor from your full right to a homeland that can accommodate all its people,” calling on the people of these regions to preserve the lives and future of their children, and not to use them as fuel for the militia’s wars and reckless adventures that have caused the destruction of Yemen, its people, and its national capabilities.
The President pointed out that “every young man who is saved today from the project of this terrorist group is a building block in building a new Yemen that is reconciled with itself, its neighbors, and the international community,” praising the honorable positions of the Yemeni tribesmen alongside the state, its institutions, and its armed and security forces. He stressed that “the state is counting greatly on the continuation of this well-known national role in solidarity, unity of ranks, and the prevention of retaliation and revenge.”
Al-Alimi, on behalf of himself and the members of the Leadership Council and the government, renewed his full commitment to what the Saudi-sponsored south-south dialogue will lead to, and to ensure a just and comprehensive solution to the southern issue.
