Acute malnutrition is rapidly increasing among young children in Government-controlled areas in Yemen, UN agencies and partners warned in a report published this week.

The ongoing conflict between Government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi rebels, is driving the surge, along with other factors such as economic collapse, displacement and social disruption.  

The report warned that all 117 districts in Government-controlled areas surveyed will experience “serious” levels of malnutrition or worse during the lean season from July to October.  The situation has been further compounded by recent flooding. 

To find out more, UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki spoke to Peter Hawkins, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative to Yemen, who spoke from the capital, Sana’a.