The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has issued a dire warning regarding the deteriorating conditions for millions of displaced Yemenis as the country’s prolonged crisis continues to deepen.

According to the latest UNHCR assessment, the humanitarian situation in Yemen remains one of the world's most severe, with millions of lives at stake.

The findings are detailed in UNHCR’s Internally Displaced Persons Protection Monitoring Update, which was released this week. The report, based on data collected from over 47,000 households during the first half of 2024, highlights the severe struggles faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and host communities across Yemen. Many of these households are residing in formal and informal IDP sites, underscoring the ongoing displacement crisis.

UNHCR expressed grave concern over the escalating crisis, noting that 85 percent of displaced families are unable to meet their daily food needs. Many families have resorted to extreme measures such as reducing meal sizes or skipping meals entirely, resulting in widespread hunger across the country.

The report also draws attention to a critical issue that has been largely overlooked: the widespread lack of civil documentation among displaced families. Over 51 percent of the surveyed families have at least one child without a birth certificate, and 70 percent lack national identity cards for some or all family members. This lack of documentation severely hampers their access to essential services, education, and fundamental rights, further exacerbating their vulnerability.

Despite ongoing efforts to improve living conditions, the majority of displaced families do not feel safe returning to their homes due to persistent instability, lack of livelihood opportunities, and dangers such as landmines, trapping them in a cycle of protracted displacement.

Yemen, which remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, faces extreme challenges as global attention shifts to other emergencies. Currently, 18.2 million people, including 4.5 million displaced individuals, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. This figure also includes over 60,000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Somalia and Ethiopia.

The situation has been further exacerbated by recent catastrophic flooding in the Malhan district of Al Mahweet governorate, triggered by heavy rains and the bursting of three dams. The floods have devastated communities, claiming 97 lives, injuring many more, and displacing over 1,000 families across 20 governorates. The hardest-hit areas include Al Hudaydah, Hajjah, Al-Taweela, and Marib, where vital infrastructure has been destroyed and farmlands submerged, with unexploded ordnance posing additional threats to civilians and humanitarian workers.

As the lead agency for protection, shelter, non-food items, and camp coordination, UNHCR is working with local partners to provide urgent assistance. Efforts include ramping up cash assistance to cover essential needs, responding to immediate crises, and advancing longer-term solutions such as home rehabilitation for IDP returnees and upgrading host community facilities.

However, UNHCR's efforts are severely underfunded. As of July 31, the agency’s country appeal for $354 million was only 21 percent funded, leaving critical areas like protection and shelter significantly under-resourced.

In light of these findings, UNHCR is urgently appealing to the international community to strengthen its support for Yemen. The agency emphasized that the world cannot afford to overlook the crisis in Yemen any longer, as sustained and coordinated support is crucial to save millions of lives. (ILKHA)