Hunger and disease spread in Yemen as Houthi and government forces clash

Yemen’s four-year period of relative calm ended when fighting resumed this summer. The renewed clashes involve Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Yemen’s government forces, who are backed by Saudi Arabia. The government’s stated military aim is ultimately to advance on the capital, Sanaa.

The violence has spread across several fronts and governorates. Between 6 August and 2 October, Yemen’s Ministry of Health and Population recorded 959 deaths and 4,207 injuries across 10 governorates. More than 200,000 people have been displaced since the renewed fighting began, adding to millions already uprooted.

The fighting is worsening an existing humanitarian emergency. Hospitals are overwhelmed, hunger is accelerating, schools are closing, and disease risks are rising. Aid agencies are trying to respond, but funding and access are limited. Further fighting could create even greater needs inside Yemen and increase pressure on neighbouring countries.

The crisis combines enormous existing needs with a new wave of casualties and displacement. Yemen has roughly 41 million people, and more than half need humanitarian aid. Before the latest escalation, over 5.2 million people had already been internally displaced by conflict and instability.

The renewed fighting caused at least 959 deaths and 4,207 injuries between 6 August and 2 October. These figures cover 10 governorates and come from Yemen’s Ministry of Health and Population. Since fighting resumed, more than 200,000 people have been displaced again, often several times. Another 3,800 people fled to Djibouti.

The humanitarian burden extends beyond displacement. More than 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished, and nearly 19 million people lack healthcare. The figures show why new violence is so dangerous: it adds casualties and uprooted families to a crisis already affecting most of the population.

Fighting disrupts the systems people need to survive. Food supplies become less reliable because Yemen imports around 90 percent of what it consumes. Violence can interrupt transport and aid access, while displacement pushes families into places already facing catastrophic hunger. Hospitals also face more trauma cases with fewer resources.

The health system shows the pressure clearly. Only 60 percent of hospitals were fully operational, with limited trauma surgery, blood transfusions, and intensive care. Doctors of the World said 60 percent of health facilities were overwhelmed. In September, MSF treated more than 60 wounded patients at Al-Gamhouria hospital in Aden.

Education is also damaged. More than 57,000 children were displaced in the first two weeks of September, and 243 schools closed or suspended classes, affecting over 137,000 pupils. Disease risks rise as crowded displaced communities lose water, sanitation, and healthcare. WHO reported measles concerns, suspected cholera, and over 9,000 dengue cases.

A ceasefire is an agreed halt or pause in fighting between opposing forces. It is meant to reduce violence and create space for civilians, aid delivery, negotiations, or longer-term political efforts. It does not necessarily end a war permanently. The article uses the term for an arrangement brokered by the United Nations.

In Yemen, that ceasefire began a period of relative calm after 2022. The pause did not remove the underlying conflict between the Houthis and government forces, but it reduced the fighting enough for the country to avoid the same level of active violence for four years. Millions still needed aid, and the humanitarian crisis remained severe.

This summer, fighting resumed and the calm ended. The consequences have been immediate: at least 959 people were killed, more than 200,000 were newly displaced, hospitals became overwhelmed, and hunger accelerated. The return of conflict shows how quickly humanitarian conditions can deteriorate when a ceasefire breaks down.

The article identifies two main opposing forces in Yemen’s renewed conflict. The Houthis are described as Iran-backed rebels. The opposing government troops are Yemen’s government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia. The fighting is therefore both a domestic power struggle and a conflict involving regional support for the opposing sides.

The government forces have launched a counter-offensive. Yemen’s ambassador to France told RFI that its ultimate aim is to advance on Sanaa, the capital. The article does not provide a fuller political or organisational history of the Houthis, but it clearly places them against the internationally supported government forces in the current battles.

Their clashes have severe civilian consequences. At least 959 people were killed and 4,207 injured across 10 governorates between 6 August and 2 October. More than 200,000 people were displaced after the fighting resumed. The regional backing has not prevented Yemen’s aid, health, food, and education systems from deteriorating further.

Yemen’s food system depends heavily on supplies from outside the country. Around 90 percent of what Yemen consumes is imported. That dependence makes food especially vulnerable when fighting blocks roads, disrupts ports or transport, limits access for aid workers, or prevents markets from receiving supplies. Aid cuts remove another vital support.

The mechanism is cumulative. Violence displaces families into areas already facing catastrophic hunger, while insecurity makes it harder to deliver food, cash, nutrition help, and school meals. The World Food Programme warned that the impact on food supplies could be devastating and said hunger was accelerating before observers’ eyes.

The response is constrained by money. The WFP needs $109 million for emergency food and nutrition aid for up to 1.5 million people. It also needs around $158 million to maintain broader assistance until March 2027. Without resources and safe access, shortages could spread beyond Yemen’s borders.

Prolonged war links several crises together. Fighting forces families from their homes, often into makeshift camps with limited food, drinking water, sanitation, and healthcare. Hunger weakens people, while damaged or overwhelmed health facilities cannot provide enough treatment. Poor conditions allow existing diseases to spread more easily.

The article gives several examples of this mechanism. More than 200,000 people were displaced after fighting resumed, many several times. Only 60 percent of hospitals were fully operational, and Doctors of the World said 60 percent of health facilities were overwhelmed. WHO reported measles concerns, suspected cholera, and more than 9,000 dengue cases.

These pressures reinforce one another. Displacement increases demand in places already facing catastrophic hunger. Attacks restrict aid workers’ movement, delaying food and medical support. Schools also close, affecting children’s stability and access to meals. With international funding shrinking, agencies must address new needs on top of existing ones, leaving communities increasingly exposed.