US aid runs dry as new fighting razes Yemen
Sweeping funding cuts and the Houthis' targeting of aid workers have hobbled relief efforts in war-torn Yemen.
WASHINGTON — Yemen is returning to full-scale war with a humanitarian support system hollowed out by international funding cuts, including nearly all aid from its once-largest donor, the United States.
Already the Arab world’s poorest country, Yemen was further destabilized last month when the Houthis launched a lightning offensive, captured large areas of Red Sea coastal territory from the Saudi-backed government and gained control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Iran-backed rebels have since completely encircled Taiz, driving food prices up 50% since early September and causing severe fuel shortages, according to the World Food Programme, which says it’s lost access to more than 600,000 people trapped inside Yemen’s third-largest city. In a virtual briefing for reporters, Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah Al-Zouba described the Houthi siege of Taiz as a “war crime” intended to wear down the population’s resistance. On Friday, the Houthis called on government forces inside the city to surrender.
More than 213,000 Yemenis have been displaced countrywide amid the fighting, according to the United Nations’ migration agency. The World Health Organization says suspected cholera cases have tripled in just three weeks, fueled by overcrowding in camps and a shortage of safe drinking water.
