Aid group’s grim predictions for future of Yemen

The war in Yemen has killed over 100,000 people and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical shortages.

A report by the International Rescue Committee says that 24 million Yemenis, or 80 per cent of the population, need humanitarian aid and 16 million are living on the verge of famine. The war also caused Yemen’s economy to shrink by 50 per cent, it said. The group warned that with the current rate of aid, it would take 20 years to return Yemen to pre-conflict levels of child hunger, which is ‘‘twice the agreed timetable for ending malnutrition around the world,’’ according to David Miliband, president of the IRC.

An estimated 160,000 Yemeni children under five years old suffered from severe acute malnutrition, the report said.

‘‘Today’s grim predictions are an insight into the colossal cost of the Age of Impunity: where wars are fought with a complete disregard for civilian life and neglected by diplomats charged with ending the violence and holding perpetrators of international law to account,’’ Miliband said.

The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who control much of the country’s north. A Saudiled coalition allied with the internationally recognised government has been fighting the Houthis since March 2015. The IRC said the conflict has displaced 3 million people, including over 350,000 in 2019 alone. –AP