Extreme Poverty Threatens Yemenis Living under Houthi Rule

A nurse weighs Afaf Hussein, 10, who is malnourished, at the malnutrition treatment ward of al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, January 31, 2019. (Reuters)
A nurse weighs Afaf Hussein, 10, who is malnourished, at the malnutrition treatment ward of al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, January 31, 2019. (Reuters)
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Extreme Poverty Threatens Yemenis Living under Houthi Rule

A nurse weighs Afaf Hussein, 10, who is malnourished, at the malnutrition treatment ward of al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, January 31, 2019. (Reuters)
A nurse weighs Afaf Hussein, 10, who is malnourished, at the malnutrition treatment ward of al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, January 31, 2019. (Reuters)

Since the coup by the Iran-align Houthi militias in Yemen in September 2014, 75 percent of the population slid into poverty and 230,000 were killed. The tragedy transformed into the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, according to international reports.

Several recent reports seen by Asharq Al-Awsat revealed the extent of damage to the country’s economy as a result of successive crises caused primarily by the Houthis systematic and repeated targeting of the sector.

A report released and prepared for the UNDP by the Pardee Center for International Futures at the University of Denver revealed the war will triple the number of people living in extreme poverty if the fighting persists. It will skyrocket from 19 percent of the population in 2014 to a projected 65 percent in 2022.

The surge in poverty across Yemen is driven by factors attributed to war, including a breakdown of the economy that has seen USD89 billion in lost economic activity since 2015.

The conflict has disrupted markets and institutions and destroyed social and economic infrastructure. Gross domestic product per capita has plummeted from USD3,577 to USD1,950, a level not seen in Yemen since before 1960.

Yemen is now ranked as the world’s second most unequal in the world in terms of income, surging past 100 other countries in inequality levels in the last five years.

In the absence of conflict, Yemen could have made progress toward achieving the SDGs, the global anti-poverty framework agreed in 2015 with a target date of 2030. But more than four years of fighting has set back human development by 21 years, the report added.

The intensity of poverty has also surged, with Yemen projected by 2022 to have the largest poverty gap—the distance between average income and the poverty line—in the world.

The report identified spikes in malnutrition across the country. Thirty-six percent of the population is malnourished and could reach nearly 50 percent if fighting continues through 2022.

The report contains especially dire projections if the war continues for the next decade. If the fighting continues through 2030, 78 percent of Yemenis will live in extreme poverty, 95 percent will be malnourished and 84 percent of children will be stunted.

Economists told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthi coup and looting of public and private facilities was a low point for Yemen.

According to the World Bank, the war waged by the militias led to the destruction of the Yemeni economy.

It is estimated that more than 40 percent of households have lost their primary income source and find it increasingly difficult to purchase the minimum food requirements. Welfare analysis suggests that poverty has increased to an estimated 71 to 78 percent, with women more severely affected than men, the World Bank added.



UK PM Tells Netanyahu Peace Process ‘Should Lead’ to Palestinian State

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference on the Southport attacks in the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain, 21 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference on the Southport attacks in the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain, 21 January 2025. (EPA)
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UK PM Tells Netanyahu Peace Process ‘Should Lead’ to Palestinian State

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference on the Southport attacks in the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain, 21 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference on the Southport attacks in the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain, 21 January 2025. (EPA)

UK premier Keir Starmer told Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that any peace process in the Middle East should pave the way for a Palestinian state, Downing Street said.

The two leaders held a call that focused on the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a UK government spokesperson said.

During the conversation, "both agreed that we must work towards a permanent and peaceful solution that guarantees Israel's security and stability", the British readout of the call added.

"The prime minister added that the UK stands ready to do everything it can to support a political process, which should also lead to a viable and sovereign Palestinian state."

Starmer also "reiterated that it was vital to ensure humanitarian aid can now flow uninterrupted into Gaza, to support the Palestinians who desperately need it", the statement added.

Starmer "offered his personal thanks for the work done by the Israeli government to secure the release of the hostages, including British hostage Emily Damari", the statement added.

"To see the pictures of Emily finally back in her family's arms was a wonderful moment but a reminder of the human cost of the conflict," Starmer added, according to the statement.

A truce agreement between Israel and Hamas to end 15 months of war in Gaza came into effect on Sunday.

The first part of the three-phase deal should last six weeks and see 33 hostages returned from Gaza in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.