Yemen’s currency crisis is driving millions to famine: UN

SANAA, Oct. 5 (YPA) – UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, on Friday said the currency decline crisis in Yemen is driving millions of people an extra step towards famine.

“Millions of Yemenis suffering from hunger have been affected by the rapid and uncontrollable decline in the value of Yemeni riyal,” Grande said in a statement.

She continued: “Yemen is already suffering from the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. For years, countless people throughout the country have barely lived. They are on the brink of collapse.”

“When prices of wheat, cooking oil or milk rise in local markets, even with a slight increase, the impact will be catastrophic and immediate,” the Humanitarian Coordinator said.

She added that families who could hardly afford to buy what they needed suddenly became unable to do so as a result of the rapid devaluation of the riyal.

The UN humanitarian coordinator warned that if the value of the Yemeni riyal continued to fall, three and a half million to four million other Yemenis would fall into pre-famine conditions.

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