WFP Yemen Situation Report #42, December 2018

Highlights

• WFP dispatched food assistance for 7.9 million people in December, achieving 79 percent of the 10 million plan.

• On 13 December, the parties to the conflict reached an agreement in Sweden which saw a ceasefire be implemented in Hudaydah from 18 December.

• The IPC results were released on 6 December showing that 20.1 million people out of a population of 28 million would be food insecure without humanitarian food assistance.

Situation Update (including security)

Hudaydah

• On 13 December, the last day of the Stockholm peace talks, the parties to the conflict reached an agreement on the following: a ceasefire in Hudaydah governorate, including the three ports of Hudaydah, Saleef and Ras Issa, an executive mechanism on activating the prisoner exchange agreement, and a statement of understanding in Taiz. The ceasefire was implemented at midnight on 18 December. Throughout December, both parties breached the ceasefire, with numerous clashes reported.

• As part of the Hudaydah ceasefire agreement, a mutual redeployment of forces shall be carried out from the city of Hudaydah as well as the Red Sea Ports. On 21 December, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2451 endorsing the ceasefire and authorizing an advance UN team to begin monitoring the agreements. The UN is to take a leading role in supporting the Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation in the management and inspections at the Red Sea ports, and WFP is to take on a supportive role, which will likely include monitoring, reporting, technical support, and targeted infrastructure rehabilitation where required.

• As part of the agreement from the first Joint meeting of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) held on 26 December, the opening of the Hudaydah- Sana’a highway, intended for use as a humanitarian corridor, was scheduled to take place on 29 December, but has yet to take place. As soon as the situation allows, a WFP truck loaded with wheat flour is to be included in the humanitarian convoy.

IPC Results

• The results of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for Yemen were released on 06 December, showing that out of a population of 28 million, 15.9 people are currently food insecure and 20.1 million people would be food insecure if humanitarian food assistance were not provided. Without food assistance, a total of 238,000 people, living in pockets across 45 districts, mainly in conflict-affected areas, would be in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) and at high risk of starvation. In addition, over 9.6 million people in 152 districts would be in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and severely food insecure. Findings showed that the number of severely food insecure people has increased by 45 percent over the IPC result of March 2017.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/wfp-yemen-situation-report-42-december-2018