Yemen war sees scramble for scant resources between displaced and locals

Food and shelter were once relatively adequate for internally displaced people in Yemen, but nearly 12 years of conflict and instability have created dire conditions inside and outside camps. The collapse of the Yemeni rial has fueled inflation and produced the worst food crisis since 2022, with more than half the population facing extreme food insecurity. Maryamah camp in Seiyun, Wadi Hadramout, houses displaced households and has seen humanitarian support decline sharply over the past four years due to severe funding cuts. Families share small, makeshift shelters and report receiving no aid since arrival. Local work that once helped families buy food has become scarce as the economy deteriorates, leaving children without food and families without medicine.

"During the early years of the Yemen war, which broke out in September 2014, food and shelter were relatively adequate in camps hosting many of the country's 4.8 million internally displaced people (IDPs). But nearly 12 years of conflict and growing instability have led to a dire situation inside and outside IDP camps, while the collapse of the Yemeni rial has seen an inflationary spiral creating the worst food crisis since 2022, with more than half the population experiencing extreme food insecurity."

"A case in point is Maryamah, one of several IDP camps in Seiyun, a city situated in Yemen's eastern Wadi Hadramout province, which together house about 4,899 displaced households. Framed by rugged plateaus and a wide desert valley, Maryamah once saw relatively consistent humanitarian support from international aid agencies, but four years ago this was reduced to a trickle over the past four years due to severe funding cuts and other factors."

"“I heard there used to be aid here in the past, but since I arrived, I have not received anything,” Shareem told Al Jazeera. Shareem, his wife and three children share a small, windowless shelter assembled from neglected wooden beams and tarpaulin sheets. Seiyun was a lifeline for Shareem and other families, who found casual work outside the camp to supplement their income, but the local economy has sunk deeper into an abyss."

"“If I find work and earn some money, we eat. If I don't, we go to sleep hungry,” Shareem said. “I cannot provide food for my children or medicine for my wife — no one has helped us.” Residents of the camp, who come from more than a dozen Yemeni provinces, including the cap"

Read at www.aljazeera.com