Overnight between 1 to 2 March, US-led air strikes hit a health centre supported by Action Against Hunger in north western Yemen. These attacks are part of a worrying upsurge in hostilities in the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula. As a result of the air strikes, the Huqah Health Facility in Washhah district, Hajjah governorate, was destroyed and a nearby school was damaged. Since May 2024, 9,670 children and 401 pregnant and breast-feeding women have received healthcare at the facility.
Anna Garella, Director of Operations for Action Against Hunger in the Middle East, said:
“Fortunately, as it was a night strike, all the health professionals working in the facility and members of our team are safe. Medical facilities and personnel are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law. We remind all parties to the conflict that it is imperative to guarantee the safety of civilians and humanitarian workers.”
The intensity of strikes has increased in recent weeks in northern Yemen, controlled by the Houthi authorities. On 15 March, bombardments killed at least 53 people, including five children, and wounded around a hundred in a residential area of the capital Sanaa, according to local authorities.
Action Against Hunger is concerned about the consequences of escalating armed violence on civilians, in a country plunged into a devastating decade-long conflict.
“We note that air strikes are now reaching densely populated areas and civilian infrastructures: this is a worrying trend,” stresses Anne Garella. “These attacks are threatening people’s access to livelihoods and the ability of humanitarian organisations to intervene, while humanitarian needs continue to grow, particularly in the north of the country.”
An estimated 19.5 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in Yemen – an increase of 1.3 million compared to 2024. Food insecurity is rampant, with around 2.7 million pregnant and breastfeeding women in need of treatment for acute malnutrition, and 55 per cent of children under five suffering from chronic malnutrition.
Action Against Hunger has operated in Yemen since 2012, supporting the rehabilitation of sanitation infrastructure and improving access to clean water and hygiene services; providing psychological and psychosocial support to people affected by violence and abuse; supporting health centres in areas most impacted by malnutrition; and working to strengthen households’ ability to generate income and access food. In 2023, our programmes supported more than 323,000 people across the country.
Notes to editors
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