15 October 2026
The United Nations Security Council met on Friday, 9 October 2026, to discuss the crisis in Yemen.
A Houthi offensive launched in September has sharply escalated the 12-year-long war for control of the country, UN News reported.
Spillover from the US-Iran war has provoked a new displacement crisis.
Government forces say they have recaptured the port city of Mocha on Yemen's Red Sea coast.
Fighting between Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Government forces is intensifying around Taiz, and more than 200,000 people have been displaced.
Aid agencies warn of surging cholera cases, rising child casualties and deepening hunger.
Diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider regional conflict, including threats to Red Sea shipping, were also expected to feature.
Security Council meeting:
9 October 2026
Length of the war:
12 years
Displaced:
More than 200,000
Port city retaken:
Mocha
Why it matters for exams: Yemen's war, the Taiz front and the Red Sea coast recur in international relations questions, and the Security Council's handling of the file is standard UPSC material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Mocha Al-Mukha — A port town on Yemen's Red Sea coast that once handled the country's coffee exports.
Taiz Ta'izz — Yemen's third largest city and the capital of a governorate of the same name.
15 October 2026
Intensifying fighting in Yemen has cut off life-saving assistance to 800,000 people, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday, 14 October 2026.
Shifting frontlines, blocked roads and growing insecurity are severely restricting access to the city of Taiz and other conflict zones.
WFP and partners cannot access more than 600,000 people in Taiz who depend on humanitarian assistance, including more than 200,000 women and children.
In Taiz governorate, 10 out of 16 districts are already classified at emergency levels of food insecurity.
More than 18 million people in Yemen face acute food insecurity, and 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished, including 500,000 with severe acute malnutrition.
Recent WFP monitoring in accessible areas found nearly 75 per cent of households unable to meet their basic food needs, a record for the year.
WFP says it requires $268 million to sustain operations through 2027.
People now out of reach nationwide:
800,000
Unreachable in Taiz:
More than 600,000
Facing acute food insecurity:
More than 18 million
WFP requirement through 2027:
$268 million
Why it matters for exams: Food security figures from WFP are among the most frequently asked facts about Yemen, and the funding requirement is a typical data question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WFP World Food Programme — The United Nations agency that delivers food assistance in emergencies.
Severe acute malnutrition SAM — The most life-threatening form of acute malnutrition in young children.
15 October 2026
Yemen's south-western city of Taiz is facing a devastating humanitarian crisis, the UN Spokesperson said on Tuesday, 13 October 2026.
Taiz, Yemen's third largest city, has been besieged since 2015, and the blockade was tightened at the start of this month when the last main road between Taiz and other government-held areas was taken.
Wheat and flour supplies in Taiz could run out in less than three weeks, cooking gas has become largely unavailable and petrol prices have tripled.
The country has reported 8,034 suspected cholera cases and 27 deaths this year, with a quarter of them occurring in the last four weeks.
More than 22,800 suspected measles cases and 128 deaths have been reported this year, with vaccination coverage estimated at only 45 per cent for each of the two recommended doses.
About 500 health facilities across nine affected governorates lack partner support.
The World Health Organization's 90-day emergency response needs $31 million and has received just $4.3 million, less than 14 per cent of the total.
Suspected cholera cases this year:
8,034
Cholera deaths:
27
Suspected measles cases:
More than 22,800
WHO 90-day response:
$31 million needed, $4.3 million received
Why it matters for exams: Cholera and measles outbreak numbers, vaccination coverage and the WHO funding gap are the kind of health-governance data examiners quote directly.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
WHO World Health Organization — The United Nations' specialised agency for international public health.
Cholera Vibrio cholerae infection — An acute intestinal infection spread mainly through contaminated water or food.
15 October 2026
The World Health Organization said on 7 October 2026 that significantly more resources are required to scale up its response in Yemen amid escalating conflict.
WHO's immediate funding requirements have increased from $9 million to $31 million, with an additional $700,000 needed to support refugees in Djibouti.
Fighting has mainly occurred on the coast in Lahj governorate near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, in neighbouring Taiz governorate and in Marib governorate in northern Yemen.
As of 2 October there were 959 reported deaths and 4,207 injuries across 10 governorates, according to the Yemeni health authorities.
Trauma stabilization points on the Lahj coast and in Al-Dhale have no partners to operate them, and emergency maternity services have been suspended in Marib and Ras Al-Arah.
Of the nearly 198,000 people uprooted, less than one per cent had received health services as of the previous week.
Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative in Yemen, said the situation is evolving into a complex emergency.
WHO immediate requirement:
Up from $9 million to $31 million
Extra for refugees in Djibouti:
$700,000
Deaths as of 2 October:
959
Injuries as of 2 October:
4,207 across 10 governorates
Why it matters for exams: The casualty count by governorate, the Bab al-Mandeb location of the fighting and the scale of the WHO appeal are all directly quotable facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Governorate Muhafazah — The first-level administrative division of Yemen, comparable to a province.
Complex emergency Complex humanitarian emergency — A crisis in which conflict, displacement and disease outbreaks overlap and strain the response.
15 October 2026
Intense fighting has forced more than 184,000 people from their homes since the start of August, the International Organization for Migration said on Monday, 5 October 2026.
Most of the displacement has taken place since early September.
In the week to 3 October alone IOM recorded nearly 21,800 people displaced at least once, a 26 per cent increase from the previous week, and a further 6,474 were displaced on 4 October.
An IOM assessment at three displacement sites in Ma'rib found that the lack of safe shelter was the most critical concern, with some families sleeping in the open.
Approximately 45 per cent of households assessed had been displaced before and had lost assets and livelihoods.
IOM Director General Amy Pope called on the international community to do more to secure humanitarian access.
WHO reported more than 5,100 casualties since 6 August, including 959 deaths.
Displaced since start of August:
More than 184,000
Displaced in the week to 3 October:
Nearly 21,800, a 26 per cent increase
Previously displaced households:
Approximately 45 per cent
IOM Director General:
Amy Pope
Why it matters for exams: IOM's displacement tracking and the Ma'rib shelter findings are the standard data an examiner uses to test the humanitarian side of the Yemen file.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IOM International Organization for Migration — The UN agency for migration, which tracks displacement inside Yemen.
15 October 2026
The UN World Food Programme welcomed the release of one of its staff members who had been arbitrarily detained in Yemen, saying on 5 October 2026 that it was relieved he had been reunited with his family.
WFP said it stood in solidarity with the 72 UN personnel and five former UN personnel who remain detained.
Thirty-seven of those 72 UN personnel are WFP staff.
The agency said it supported constructive dialogue with the Houthi de facto authorities to build on the release and secure further releases.
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said the Secretary-General has called for the release of all detained UN personnel and other humanitarian personnel in Yemen.
He said the UN will continue to pursue every possible avenue to secure their immediate and safe release.
UN personnel still detained:
72
Former UN personnel detained:
Five
WFP staff among the detained:
37
Why it matters for exams: The detention of UN and humanitarian staff in Yemen is a recurring Security Council and human rights theme, and the count of detainees is asked as a data point.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
De facto authorities Authorities in effective control — The term the UN uses for the Houthi administration that controls much of northern Yemen.
15 October 2026
Renewed hostilities across Yemen are forcing families from their homes and disrupting access to health care and education, UNICEF warned from Amman on 16 September 2026.
More than 104,000 people, including over 57,000 children, were displaced in just two weeks.
The fighting across western Taiz, southern Hudaydah, Marib and other affected areas has disrupted services at 26 UNICEF-supported health facilities, while 243 schools have closed or suspended learning, affecting more than 137,000 students.
Even before the latest escalation, an estimated 12.2 million children in Yemen needed humanitarian assistance.
More than 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished, including over 515,000 with severe acute malnutrition, and 3.2 million school-aged children are out of school.
Around 17.8 million people lack adequate access to healthcare, water and sanitation, with only 60 per cent of health facilities fully functional.
UNICEF is expanding its emergency response to reach up to 231,000 people affected by the escalation.
Children needing humanitarian assistance:
An estimated 12.2 million
Children displaced in two weeks:
Over 57,000
Schools closed or learning suspended:
243, affecting more than 137,000 students
Children with severe acute malnutrition:
Over 515,000
Why it matters for exams: Child malnutrition and out-of-school figures for Yemen are standard statistics in questions on human development in conflict states.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund — The UN agency for children's rights, health and education.
15 October 2026
Yemen's economy remains under strain, having contracted again in 2025 and now facing additional pressures linked to the conflict in the Middle East, the World Bank said on 21 May 2026.
The Spring 2026 edition of the Yemen Economic Monitor, titled Pushing Against the Tide, finds that national real GDP declined by 1.5 per cent in 2025 and is projected to contract by a further 0.5 per cent in 2026.
Oil exports are still blocked, and funding for the UN Response Plan covered only 28 per cent of needs, down from 56.5 per cent in 2024.
Revenues fell to 5.6 per cent of GDP, driven by reduced external grants.
The Yemeni rial in Aden appreciated sharply in August 2025 and has since stabilized, supported by Central Bank measures and external inflows including Saudi financial support.
Nearly three-quarters of the population is estimated to live below the poverty line.
Dina Abu-Ghaida, World Bank Group Country Manager for Yemen, said the economy has limited buffers to absorb new shocks.
Real GDP in 2025:
Declined by 1.5 per cent
Projection for 2026:
A further contraction of 0.5 per cent
UN Response Plan funding:
28 per cent of needs, down from 56.5 per cent in 2024
Revenues:
5.6 per cent of GDP
Report title:
Pushing Against the Tide, Spring 2026 edition
Why it matters for exams: The Yemeni rial, the role of the Central Bank in Aden and the World Bank's growth numbers are the economy questions most likely to be set on Yemen.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Yemen Economic Monitor World Bank Yemen Economic Monitor — The World Bank's periodic review of Yemen's economy, published twice a year.
Rial Yemeni rial — Yemen's currency, which trades at different rates in Aden and in Houthi-held areas.
Background
The Socotra Archipelago lies in the northwest Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden and forms part of Yemen.
UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage List in 2008 under natural criterion (x), for biological diversity and threatened species.
The archipelago comprises four islands and two rocky islets and extends about 250 km.
The inscribed property covers 410,460 hectares, with a buffer zone of 1,740,958 hectares.
Socotra has 825 plant species, of which 307, or 37 per cent, are endemic.
Endemism is also very high among reptiles, 90 per cent of 34 species, and land snails, 95 per cent of 96 species.
Its recorded bird life includes 192 species, of which 44 breed on the islands.
UNESCO describes the archipelago as the "Galápagos of the Indian Ocean".
Inscribed:
2008
Criterion:
(x)
Property area:
410,460 hectares
Plant species:
825, of which 307 endemic
Islands:
Four islands and two rocky islets
Why it matters for exams: Yemen's only natural World Heritage site is a standard question on island biodiversity and on the geography of the Gulf of Aden.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Endemic — A species that occurs naturally only in one particular area and nowhere else.
Archipelago — A group or chain of islands lying close together in the sea.
Buffer zone — An area around a heritage site that is given extra protection to shield the site itself.
Background
Sana'a is the capital of Yemen, and its Old City is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The site stands in a mountain valley at an altitude of about 2,200 m.
Sana'a has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years and was given official status in the 2nd century BC as an outpost of the Yemenite kingdoms.
UNESCO inscribed the Old City in 1986 under cultural criteria (iv), (v) and (vi).
Its many-storeyed tower-houses are built of rammed earth (pisé), their facades decorated with geometric patterns of fired brick and white gypsum.
The English UNESCO description counts 103 mosques, 14 hammams and over 6,000 houses, all built before the 11th century.
Green gardens called bustans are scattered among the houses, mosques, baths and caravanserais.
The Great Mosque is described as the first mosque built outside Mecca and Medina, and the Old City has been on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 2015.
Inscribed:
1986
Criteria:
(iv), (v), (vi)
Altitude:
About 2,200 m
Mosques:
103
Houses:
Over 6,000
Why it matters for exams: The capital city plus its World Heritage listing is the most frequently asked pair of facts about Yemen, and the earthen tower-houses are a standard architecture question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Rammed earth — A building method in which damp earth is packed hard inside a mould to form a solid wall.
Hammam — A public bath house of the kind found in West Asian and North African cities.
Caravanserai — A walled inn where travelling merchants and their animals rested on a trade route.
Bustan — The local name for the green garden plots kept between the buildings of the old city.
Background
Shibam stands in Wadi Hadramaut, in the Hadramaut Governorate of Yemen.
UNESCO inscribed the Old Walled City of Shibam in 1982 under cultural criteria (iii), (iv) and (v).
It is a 16th-century city surrounded by a fortified wall and laid out on a rectangular grid of streets and squares.
Its tower houses are built of sun-dried mud brick and rise up to seven storeys from the cliff edge of Wadi Hadramaut.
These towers earned the city the nickname "the Manhattan of the desert".
Shibam was historically a caravan halt on the spice and incense route.
Its Friday mosque dates mostly from the 9th and 10th centuries and its castle from the 13th century.
UNESCO records flooding, decay, the abandonment of traditional flood management and the replacement of mud with concrete as threats; the site has been on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 2015.
Inscribed:
1982
Criteria:
(iii), (iv), (v)
Location:
Wadi Hadramaut
Building material:
Sun-dried mud brick
Height of tower houses:
Up to seven storeys
Why it matters for exams: "Manhattan of the desert" is a ready-made nickname question, and Shibam is the usual example of high-rise mud-brick architecture.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Wadi — A valley or stream bed in a dry region that carries water only after rain.
Sun-dried mud brick — A building block of earth shaped by hand and hardened in the sun rather than in a kiln.
Caravan halt — A stopping place where a trading party rested on a long overland route.
Background
The Kingdom of Saba flourished in what is now Yemen from the 1st millennium BCE until the arrival of Islam around 630 CE.
UNESCO inscribed "Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib" in 2023 under cultural criteria (iii) and (iv).
It is a serial property comprising seven archaeological sites.
Ma'rib was the walled capital city of Saba, while the fortified city of Sirwah may have served as its military capital.
The Ma'rib dam fed an irrigation system of canals that supported the largest ancient man-made oasis.
The temples of Awām, Bar'ān and Ḥarūnum are among the inscribed landmarks.
Saba's wealth rested on the Incense Trade Route, broadly between the 8th century BCE and the 3rd century CE.
The property was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger from the time of its inscription.
Inscribed:
2023
Criteria:
(iii), (iv)
Component sites:
Seven archaeological sites
Capital:
Ma'rib
Temples:
Awām, Bar'ān, Ḥarūnum
Why it matters for exams: Saba, Marib and its ancient dam are standard ancient-history and irrigation questions, and this is Yemen's most recently inscribed World Heritage site.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Serial property — A single World Heritage listing made up of several separate places treated as one site.
Oasis — A fertile, watered patch in the middle of a desert.
Incense — Aromatic tree resin such as frankincense, burned for its scent and traded over long distances in antiquity.