UN food agency decides to suspend malnutrition prevention program in Yemen

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – The UN World Food Program (WFP) has decided to suspend its malnutrition prevention program in Yemen in August, citing "critical funding shortfalls" as a major reason.

In its latest report on the situation in Yemen, the UN food agency stated that critical funding shortfalls, combined with ongoing supply disruptions, force it to "fully suspend malnutrition prevention activity" as of August.

"This will allow WFP to utilize the scarce resources available to cover the requirements of the life-saving moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) treatment programme," it said in its report released in late July.

In order to navigate the critical situation in Yemen, according to the report, the limited available funds would be allocated to life-saving treatment programs for severe acute malnutrition cases.

The decision is expected to have a devastating impact on the country's 2.4 million malnourished citizens.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sana’a.

Coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia have been supporting the Yemeni government against the Houthis since March 2015.