Seiyun, Yemen – 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.Ali Sagher Shareem, 51, who two years ago made the arduous 1,000km journey from his home in Hodeidah, western Yemen, to Maryamah, said his family’s displacement came at the worst possible time.“I heard there used to be aid here in the past, but since I arrived, I have not received anything,” Shareem told Al Jazeera.‘Living in an oven’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 …
