SANAA, Oct 6 (Saba) - The currency crisis in Yemen is driving millions of people to additional step toward famine, said Ms. Lise Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen.
"Millions of hungry and destitute Yemenis are being impacted by the rapid and uncontrolled devaluation of the Yemeni Rial", said Ms. Grande in a statement recorded by Saba on Friday.
“Yemen is already the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” said Ms. Lise Grande, “For years, countless people across the country have been surviving on the thinnest of margins.”
“When the price of wheat or cooking oil or milk in local markets increases, even by the smallest amount, the impact is catastrophic and immediate.
Families who have been able to barely buy what they need are suddenly no longer able to,” said Ms. Grande.
If the Rial continues its downward spiral, 3.5 to 4 million more Yemenis will fall into pre-famine conditions,” she warned.
“The situation is already unbearable,” said Ms. Grande. “It will become irreversible unless something is done to save the Rial.”
“The UN’s World Food Programme and partners are providing food assistance to nearly 8 million desperately hungry people each month.
Eman al-Mutawakel
Saba