The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned that the escalation of the Red Sea crisis is poised to accelerate the increase in shipping costs, delay the delivery of essential food or lead to a complete suspension of trade routes and closure of Yemeni ports.
Recent report published by FAP added “the escalation of the Red Sea crisis will drive a further rise in food insecurity in Yemen, largely affecting the most vulnerable populations, including the poor and internally displaced, who will struggle to afford essential food items.”
The report added “According to the Potential Impacts of Red Sea Crisis Escalation on Food Insecurity in Yemen report, the food security situation in Yemen is already fragile and further shocks emanating from the Red Sea crisis will cause additional harm to an already dire situation that can be described as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world.
While commenting on the key findings of the report, the FAO Representative in Yemen, Hussein Gadain, urged the international community to address the possible deterioration of the already severe humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
He emphasized that the Red Sea conflict has erupted at a time when focus on Yemen is receding as humanitarian actors shift their attention and resources to other global hotspots, including Ukraine, Gaza and the Sudan.
“We cannot afford to wait until the humanitarian emergency worsens even further. This is the time to coordinate efforts and de-escalate the Red Sea crisis,” Gadain said. “We should facilitate an uninterrupted flow of commercial and essential humanitarian food supplies. This crisis, if not attended to, threatens to reverse the gains we have made in restoring livelihoods of Yemenis since the start of the conflict eight years ago.”