Scale of Yemen famine was 'initially underestimated' by aid agencies

[BeckyDem]

Tue 16 Oct 2018 09.00 EDT
Last modified on Tue 16 Oct 2018 14.30 EDT

Sources say soaring food prices have overtaken projections from UN general assembly two weeks ago, with up to 14 million people now at risk

The sheer magnitude of the famine facing Yemen was initially underestimated by the aid sector, leaving food security experts rushing to update projections made at the UN general assembly a fortnight ago, sources have told the Guardian.

The speed at which the Yemeni currency plunged in early September, forcing food prices to soar, is being blamed for miscalculations that mean between 1.5 million and 2 million more people than initially thought are now at risk of famine.

Humanitarians warn children will be worst hit in what is being forecast as the world’s most lethal famine for 100 years with up to 14 million people at risk, according to the UN.

“The crisis in Yemen is so huge and of such magnitude, we have to be frank about whether we can together deal with what is facing us,” said Lise Grande, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Yemen. “We are literally looking at hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people who may not survive.”

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/oct/16/enormity-yemen-famine-initially-underestimated?CMP=share_btn_link