Acute malnutrition rises among children in Yemen as fighting intensifies

Saturday 26 September 2026 - 15:45

By: Azzat Manal

Acute malnutrition rises among children in Yemen as fighting intensifies

Acute malnutrition is increasing among children in Yemen as renewed fighting disrupts access to healthcare and nutrition services, UNICEF has warned, highlighting the growing humanitarian pressure on families already affected by years of conflict and food insecurity.

UNICEF Country Representative in Yemen Akhil Iyer said the agency was seeing a clear rise in acute malnutrition among children in areas where humanitarian teams can safely operate. The warning came as renewed hostilities have forced thousands of families to flee their homes and made access to essential services more difficult.

In recent weeks, UNICEF mobile nutrition teams screened nearly 2,900 children in accessible areas. More than one in four of those children were found to be acutely malnourished, while more than 200 were suffering from severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous form of undernutrition.

The latest figures come on top of an already severe nutrition crisis. UNICEF estimates that more than 2.2 million children under the age of five in Yemen were projected to suffer from acute malnutrition during 2026, including more than half a million facing severe acute malnutrition.

The renewed violence has also triggered a major wave of displacement. UNICEF said nearly 130,000 people, including an estimated 71,000 children, have been forced from their homes over the past three weeks. Many displaced families are concentrated in areas of Taiz and face difficulties reaching safer locations because of fighting, blocked roads and limited transportation.

Displacement is adding further pressure to families already struggling to obtain food, medicine and basic services. UNICEF has described a cycle in which conflict increases hunger while malnutrition leaves children more vulnerable to illness and the wider consequences of violence.

Yemen's humanitarian crisis predates the latest escalation. United Nations data indicate that more than 21 million people are expected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026, while acute food insecurity and a fragile health system continue to affect millions. Around 59 percent of health facilities were considered fully functional in the latest UN assessment.

The disruption of healthcare is particularly concerning for children suffering from severe malnutrition, who require timely medical and nutritional treatment. UNICEF's 2026 humanitarian appeal includes nutrition and health interventions aimed at reaching more than 1.4 million women and children and treating hundreds of thousands of children suffering from severe wasting.

The agency has expanded its emergency response through mobile health and nutrition teams, support for health facilities, safe water services and child protection programmes. UNICEF said it aims to reach up to 231,000 people affected by the latest escalation and displacement.

The situation also highlights the broader impact of renewed fighting on children beyond nutrition. UNICEF previously reported that hundreds of schools had closed or suspended classes as violence disrupted education, while children have also been killed, injured and displaced during the latest escalation.

UNICEF has called on all parties to protect children and civilian infrastructure, respect international humanitarian law and allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access. For aid agencies, ensuring that displaced families can reach food, healthcare and nutrition services remains a critical priority as Yemen's humanitarian crisis deepens.