WFP warns Yemen hunger surge could spread beyond its borders as 150,000 are displaced

2 October 2026

The World Food Programme warned that renewed conflict in Yemen has triggered a surge in hunger with consequences for the wider region.
Fighting between Government forces and Houthi rebels along the southwestern coast has forced nearly 150,000 people from their homes and disrupted markets.
More than 18 million people nationwide face acute food insecurity and some 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished.
Nearly three out of four households in accessible areas are unable to meet their basic needs.
The fighting has cut off access to parts of Taiz and Hudaydah, preventing the agency and its partners from reaching some 350,000 people.
At least 3,700 Yemenis have crossed the Bab al-Mandab Strait to seek shelter in Djibouti.
The agency noted that Bab al-Mandab, the Black Sea and the Strait of Hormuz are all under pressure at the same time.