A malnourished child lies on a bed at Al-Sabeen Hospital in Sanaa, Yemen on July 30, 2023. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
ADEN, Yemen, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said it would suspend its life-saving malnutrition interventions in Yemen in August due to a severe funding shortfall.
The WFP said in a report released Saturday that the lack of funds, combined with the continuous disruptions in supplies, has left it with no choice but to halt malnutrition prevention activities in Yemen.
The move is expected to have a devastating impact on the 2.4 million malnourished individuals in the country, who are already among the most vulnerable.
A mother holds her malnourished child as he receives treatment at Al-Sabeen Hospital in Sanaa, Yemen on July 30, 2023. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
To navigate the critical situation in Yemen, the UN agency said it would allocate the limited available funds to life-saving treatment programs for severe acute malnutrition cases, according to the report.
The report highlighted that the WFP's plan for the next six months, spanning from August 2023 to January 2024, has only been met with a mere 28 percent of the necessary funding.
Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthi rebels fighting against the internationally-recognized government and its allies.
The war disrupted Yemen's food supply chain and caused widespread famine, bringing the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of collapse. ■
