A severe hunger crisis is unfolding in Yemen, where more than half of the population—around 18 million people—is projected to face worsening food insecurity by early 2026. According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), nearly every surveyed household identified food as their most urgent need, with 80 percent reporting severe hunger. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warns that one million more people risk slipping into life-threatening hunger, and famine pockets affecting over 40,000 people could emerge within two months.

Years of conflict, economic collapse, and climate shocks have crippled Yemen’s ability to produce or import food. The country relies on imports for up to 90 percent of staple grains, while fighting has displaced rural families and disrupted supply chains. Erratic rainfall and rising temperatures have further reduced agricultural productivity, leaving many families surviving on one meal a day.

Humanitarian funding has dropped to less than 25 percent of required levels, the lowest in a decade, with nutrition programs receiving only 10 percent of needed support. The IRC urges donors to urgently restore and expand food and nutrition funding, prioritize treatment for malnourished children and mothers, and strengthen systems to track and respond to emerging hunger hotspots.

At least 16 people, including eight women and children, were killed in a collision between a bus and a truck in southern Yemen. The accident occurred on Tuesday in the Lahmar area of Al-Mahfad district. The impact caused a fire that engulfed the small bus, leaving no survivors among the passengers.

According to a statement cited by Reuters from security officials, the crash took place on a dangerous curve of the road. Following the collision, a gas cylinder in the bus exploded, igniting a fire that spread rapidly and prevented passengers from escaping. The report also recalled that last year, 17 people died in a similar accident on a mountainous road in Abyan province.

Yemen’s road network has deteriorated severely after more than a decade of conflict between government forces and Houthi rebels, contributing to frequent and deadly traffic accidents across the country.

At least five members of a Saudi-backed pro-government armed group were killed in a bomb attack targeting their convoy in the southern Yemeni city of Aden. Officials said Brigadier General Hamdi Shukri, commander of the unit, was injured in the explosion. The attack occurred in the Ja’aoula area north of Aden when a car bomb detonated as the convoy of the Second Giants Brigade passed by. According to medical sources, Shukri sustained shrapnel wounds to his leg and is receiving treatment.

The Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council confirmed the casualties in a statement published by Yemen’s Saba news agency, adding that three others were wounded. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The incident comes amid ongoing tensions and clashes among rival pro-government factions in southern Yemen.

The Saudi-led military coalition condemned the bombing, pledging full support to Yemeni security forces in identifying and prosecuting those responsible. The U.S. Embassy in Yemen also denounced the attack as “provocative and unjustified.”

Saudi Arabia has announced a $500 million financial aid package to support Yemen’s development, particularly in the southern regions. The announcement was made by Mohammed Al-Jaber, Saudi ambassador to Yemen and supervisor of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen. Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman reaffirmed Riyadh’s support during a meeting with Yemen’s internationally recognized prime minister.

According to a statement on social media platform X, the new projects will include the construction of hospitals, schools, and roads, along with fuel grants to boost electricity generation. The statement described the initiative as a reflection of Saudi Arabia’s goodwill to enhance Yemen’s security, stability, and prospects for a better future.

The announcement follows recent reports that Yemen’s internationally recognized government regained control of key southern and eastern areas previously held by the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC). The conflict had heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as Yemen’s government accused the UAE of backing the STC.

Yemen’s Prime Minister Salem bin Breik has resigned, and Shaya Mohsen Jindani has been appointed as his successor. Jindani previously served as the country’s foreign minister. According to Yemen’s official news agency Saba, bin Breik submitted his resignation to the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council on Thursday, which promptly accepted it. Within hours, the council announced Jindani’s appointment as the new prime minister.

The political backdrop in Yemen remains complex. Since 2014, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have controlled the capital Sana’a, forcing then-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to seek refuge in Saudi Arabia. In response, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemeni government forces formed a coalition to restore Hadi’s government and counter the Houthis.

The coalition has been conducting military operations against the Houthis since 2015. Nearly eleven years into the conflict, northern Yemen remains under Houthi control, while the Saudi-backed Presidential Council governs the southern region.

The internationally recognized Yemeni government, known as the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), announced that its forces have regained control of two strategic southern provinces from the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) after a month of fighting. The UAE-backed STC had seized the oil-rich Hadramaut and Al-Mahra provinces near the Saudi border in early December 2025. Saudi Arabia, which supports the PLC, viewed the move as a national security threat and responded with airstrikes on STC positions, including the key port of Mukalla.

The PLC, led by Rashad al-Alimi since 2022, operates from Aden and aims to unify anti-Houthi factions. The STC seeks an independent southern Yemen and rejected reports of its dissolution after its leader was dismissed from the PLC in January 2026. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to control much of northern and western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the Red Sea coast.

According to the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, the Houthis hold northwestern Yemen, while the government claims most of the rest. The UN reports that 17 million Yemenis face severe food shortages, with millions displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid.

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad al-Alimi announced on Saturday that all military and security forces in southern Yemen will now operate under the direct command of the Saudi-led coalition. The decision follows a failed offensive by UAE-backed separatist forces. Al-Alimi said in a televised address that a Supreme Military Committee will be formed under the coalition’s command to oversee the training, arming, and management of all southern forces and armed groups.

The announcement comes after Saudi-backed Yemeni troops regained control of large southern areas from the UAE-supported Southern Transitional Council (STC), which had seized two key provinces in December. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have long been allies in the coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who still control much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. However, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi now back different factions within the internationally recognized Presidential Council, complicating Yemen’s southern political and military landscape.

The STC’s future remains uncertain after reports of its leader’s departure and conflicting claims over its dissolution. Thousands rallied in Aden in support of the STC despite a ban on gatherings, demanding independence for southern Yemen.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government has announced the recovery of the country’s southern and eastern regions from the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC). On Saturday, Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), said government forces had regained control of two key provinces and now hold full authority over southern Yemen. He specifically assured citizens that Hadramaut and Al-Mahra provinces had been restored under government control.

Al-Alimi added that former STC members have been invited to Riyadh for discussions on Yemen’s future and that all military forces will now operate under the Saudi-led coalition’s command. His statement followed a Saudi-supported campaign in late December that expelled STC forces from Hadramaut and Al-Mahra, two provinces bordering Saudi Arabia and comprising nearly half of Yemen’s territory.

Meanwhile, thousands of STC supporters rallied in the group’s stronghold of Aden, particularly in Khor Maksar district, chanting slogans against Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC), a UAE-backed separatist group in Yemen, has announced its dissolution following meetings in Saudi Arabia. Representatives of the STC were in Riyadh for discussions aimed at resolving unrest in southern Yemen, according to Al Jazeera. The group declared that all its main and subsidiary bodies would be disbanded and its offices inside and outside the country closed.

The Saudi-led coalition claimed that STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled to the United Arab Emirates instead of attending scheduled peace talks in Riyadh. The coalition stated that al-Zubaidi traveled by boat from Yemen’s Aden port to Berbera in Somaliland late Wednesday night. The STC praised Saudi Arabia for organizing the talks, saying the initiative could help ease tensions with the UAE.

Recent weeks have seen escalating violence between STC forces and Saudi-backed troops around Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Tensions intensified after a Saudi-led airstrike targeted a UAE arms shipment at Mukalla port in southern Yemen.

Yemeni separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi has fled to the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Saudi-led coalition. The coalition said al-Zubaidi left Yemen after attempting to seize control of several areas and advance toward independence. Based on what it described as reliable intelligence, the coalition reported that al-Zubaidi and his associates escaped during the night.

The coalition further stated that the group traveled from Aden to Abu Dhabi using both boats and aircraft. The information was reported from Riyadh by the AFP news agency. The announcement marks a significant development in Yemen’s ongoing internal divisions, as al-Zubaidi has been a key figure in the country’s separatist movement.

The coalition’s statement did not specify al-Zubaidi’s current status in the UAE or any immediate response from Emirati authorities.

The Saudi Arabia-led military coalition carried out what it described as limited preemptive strikes in Yemen to prevent further escalation of conflict involving UAE-backed separatists. The coalition announced the operation in a statement on Wednesday, saying it acted after recent territorial advances by separatist forces in Hadhramaut province near the Saudi border. Those forces had previously expelled Saudi-backed government troops but were forced to retreat following coalition air and ground operations last week.

According to the coalition, the new strikes were launched as fighting under separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi risked spreading into Al-Dhale governorate. The statement said the coalition was coordinating with the Yemeni government and local authorities to strengthen security and maintain order. Al-Zubaidi was expected to attend talks in Riyadh on Tuesday but reportedly missed his flight, and the coalition claimed he has since fled to an unknown location, creating uncertainty within the separatist ranks.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have long supported rival factions within Yemen’s southern-based government while jointly fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who seized much of northern Yemen in 2014.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government has called on rival factions to engage in dialogue to resolve ongoing conflicts. According to the state-run Saba News Agency, the call was issued on Saturday by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), who invited all southern Yemeni parties to attend talks in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia welcomed the initiative and also urged all southern factions to participate in the upcoming dialogue. However, the Iran-backed Houthi fighters controlling the capital, Sanaa, were excluded from the invitation.

The appeal followed recent clashes in Yemen’s Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra provinces, where the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) seized significant territory, prompting Saudi airstrikes. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the dialogue aims to establish a comprehensive framework for a fair resolution of southern disputes. Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have long supported Yemen’s recognized government in its fight against the Houthis, while the STC, once an ally, has recently renewed its push for southern independence.

The STC has announced plans to establish a separate “South Arabia” state within two years, adding urgency to the proposed Riyadh talks.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist armed political group in Yemen, has announced plans to hold a referendum within two years to decide on the independence of South Yemen from the north. STC President Aidarous al-Zubaidi made the announcement in a televised speech on Friday, declaring the start of a two-year transitional period and urging the international community to sponsor dialogue between the northern and southern parties. He warned that if no dialogue occurs or if the south faces renewed attacks, the STC would immediately declare independence.

The announcement comes amid escalating tensions between Saudi-backed forces and the UAE-supported STC. Fighting broke out in Hadramaut province, near the Saudi border, between forces loyal to the Saudi-backed governor and STC fighters. STC commander Mohammed Abdul Malik reported that seven people were killed and more than 20 injured in seven airstrikes on an STC camp in Al-Khasha, carried out by Saudi Arabia.

The conflict follows years of instability since the Houthi takeover of Yemen’s capital in 2014, with the country divided between Houthi-controlled north and the Saudi-recognized Presidential Council in the south.

At least seven people were killed and more than twenty injured in Saudi-led airstrikes targeting fighters and infrastructure of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in southeastern Yemen, according to the group. The attacks took place in Wadi Hadramaut and the Hadramaut desert, where STC leader Mohammad Abdul Malik said seven air raids struck a camp in Al-Khasar.

Middle East Eye reported that Saudi-backed forces launched the operation to retake areas seized by the STC in December. Hadramaut Governor Salem Al-Khanbashi, supported by Saudi Arabia, had earlier announced a rapid 'peaceful operation' to reclaim military positions captured a month earlier. However, STC officials accused Riyadh of deception, saying the so-called peaceful mission quickly turned into airstrikes.

STC’s foreign affairs representative Amr Al-Bidh alleged that Saudi Arabia deliberately misled the international community by labeling the offensive as peaceful. The internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council had granted Khanbashi full military and administrative authority to restore control in Hadramaut. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the airstrikes.

Flights at Yemen’s Aden International Airport have been suspended, according to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Thursday. Passengers gathered at the terminal seeking information as operations came to a halt. The suspension followed escalating tensions between the UAE-backed STC and the Saudi Arabia-backed internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Channel AIC reported that Saudi Arabia halted both domestic and international flights at Aden airport, effectively suspending all operations. The airport primarily handled flights to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan. The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, operating under STC authority as part of a power-sharing arrangement with the Yemeni government, condemned the Saudi decision.

The ministry stated it had received a memorandum from the Saudi-led coalition instructing that all international flights must first stop in Jeddah for inspection before proceeding to their destinations. It expressed dismay over the move, though Saudi authorities later clarified that the restriction applied only to flights between Aden and the United Arab Emirates.