The massive reduction in U.S. international aid, combined with airstrikes against Houthi rebels, will have disastrous consequences for the population of Yemen, more than half of whom need aid to survive, Amnesty International warned Thursday.

In January, President Donald Trump imposed a freeze on U.S. foreign aid, followed by Washington's announcement of the cancellation of 83% of the programs of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

While the U.S. has been Yemen's main humanitarian donor for years and unlocked $768 million in 2024, these drastic cuts threaten to worsen one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in this country of 38 million people, Amnesty warns. Citing humanitarian workers, the NGO says that this financial drying up has caused "the closure of vital aid and protection services."

Among the affected are treatments for malnutrition in children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, the operation of shelters for victims of gender-based violence, and health care for children. Numerous reproductive health or protection services for women are also under threat.

"The brutal and irresponsible reduction of U.S. aid will have catastrophic consequences for the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in Yemen, including women and girls, children, and displaced persons," said Diala Haidar, an NGO researcher on Yemen. "Millions of people in Yemen will find themselves without the support they desperately need" if aid is not restored, she added.

"We have had to make life-or-death decisions based on little or no information. Often, there is no one to turn to because USAID has been gutted," a humanitarian sector employee cited by the NGO testified.

Large areas of the country held by the Houthis are also targeted by near-daily U.S. strikes since Washington launched a mid-March air campaign against these Iran-backed rebels, who have attacked maritime traffic off Yemen since the start of the Gaza war. "The military escalation (...) and the reduction of U.S. aid will worsen the humanitarian catastrophe," emphasized Diala Haidar.

The NGO also notes that Washington's classification of the Houthis as a "foreign terrorist organization" in March forced several organizations to suspend their operations in rebel-held areas. The U.S. measures targeting Houthi authorities "must provide clear and effective exemptions for humanitarian operations," argued Haidar, adding that the "majority of civilians in desperate need of assistance" live in rebel-controlled areas in northern Yemen.