As the US, Iran and Oman edge towards an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, months of insecurity and disruption are leaving millions more vulnerable to hunger in Yemen.
The economic fallout from the regional conflict has driven up food and fuel prices, while more than four months of conflict with Iran has driven renewed escalation in Yemen, compounding one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
More than half the population were already facing hunger, but slow progress from world leaders to re-open the Strait has caused months of disruption to global food and energy supplies, disrupting humanitarian aid operations.
Fuel imports into Yemen’s sea ports declined sharply in the first quarter of this year, with the cost of a litre of petrol spiking by as much as 42 per cent in Aden and Lahj, according to analysis by Save the Children.
More than half Yemen’s population were already facing hunger, but continued disruption or deterioration could trigger a fresh humanitarian shock, aid agencies warn.
"Before the war, we had some savings, but they eventually ran out,” said Eman, a grandmother of six from Taiz. Her son has no work and his wife is gravely ill, with some of the children receiving treatment for signs of malnutrition.
"When prices were lower, we could sometimes buy chicken or fish, but now we can no longer afford any of those things,” she said.
In Taiz, the cost of rice has shot up by a third and and staples like tomatoes by almost 60 per cent.
The ongoing regional war in the Middle East has damaged economies, with Yemen bearing a heavy burden as commodity prices, especially fuel, soar. The average price of 20 litres of diesel has increased from $17 to around $30, with the spike even steeper in some governorates.
It has triggered a domino effect, driving up the costs of the goods and services dependent on fuel and transportation.
Negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest shipping routes, have made progress this week, with Iran saying on Thursday that an interim agreement was "in the final stages".
It has raised hopes that the crisis in one of the Middle East’s most dangerous flashpoints will soon ease months after fighting erupted between the US, Israel and Iran, but shipping remains heavily disrupted.
In recent weeks, the situation in Yemen has been further complicated by the resumption of fighting between the country’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control much of the country's north, and Saudi Arabia, a close ally to the US in the Iran war.
The Houthis have resumed attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and vessels in the Red Sea, adding another crucial waterway to regional security concerns.
Aid agencies warn millions could be pushed deeper into catastrophe as a result, at a time when humanitarian responses are hampered by funding shortfalls that have scaled back life-saving programmes.
The United Nations response plan for Yemen remains less than 15 per cent funded, despite being more than half way through the year.
“For over a decade, children in Yemen have been blighted by one crisis after another as global attention has receded,” said Rishana Haniffa, Save the Children Yemen Country Director. “World leaders must stop playing politics with children’s lives.”
While there has already been some easing of the previous full blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, damage and disruption to supply chains and food systems takes time to reverse.
Planting seasons have also been missed in crucial food insecure regions as they also face the arrival of a “super” El Nino. It is expected to drive droughts, floods and food insecurity across some of the world's most vulnerable regions over the coming months.
Millions are at risk of crisis-level food insecurity globally due to the ongoing war, the World Food Programme warned previously, with disrupted fertiliser shipments from the Gulf affecting crop production in fragile countries like Sudan.
Food assistance in Yemen has already become limited, reaching just 1.2 million of the more than 18 million facing acute food insecurity, according to Action For Humanity.
"When a crisis of this magnitude is already critically underfunded, even a relatively small deterioration in the security situation can have devastating consequences,” said Charles Lawley, Director of Communications & Advocacy at Action For Humanity.
More than 22 million people across Yemen require humanitarian assistance and protection services, including 5.2 million internally displaced people, according to the United Nations.
Over a million pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to become malnourished this year as abrupt aid cuts are thought to be reversing child and maternal mortality progress globally.
“In Yemen, where even short periods of unaffordable food access have lasting consequences for children’s growth and development, these shocks will be felt by children and families for years,” said Ms Haniffa.
This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project
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