Beirut – The de facto authorities and parties in Yemen bear legal and moral responsibility for the cholera outbreak, which stems directly from the collapse of water and sanitation networks, poor waste management, and obstruction of medical teams and supplies. They are responsible for maintaining, repairing, and protecting these networks and ensuring access to safe water, public health, and sanitation services.
International humanitarian law and the right to health standards oblige authorities on the ground to facilitate relief efforts and take immediate measures to prevent the spread of avoidable diseases.
Between March 2024 and August 2025, Yemen recorded about 332,000 suspected cholera cases and 1,073 related deaths, ranking third globally in infections. There are growing fears that the outbreak will worsen during the current rainy season due to high water contamination and poor drainage systems.
One of the main factors behind the widespread cholera outbreak in Taiz Governorate is the war-induced disruption of the sewage network, which has led to the contamination of fruits and vegetables sold on the streets
Yassin Abdul Malik, a doctor from Taiz Governorate
The Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) faces a severe funding shortfall exceeding 80 per cent, caused by several donor countries and entities failing to honour their financial pledges. By September this year, only 474 million dollars of the 2.48 billion required had been disbursed. This shortfall has weakened cholera control programmes and disrupted many preventive and treatment activities, despite the significant efforts of local and international health organisations to protect millions of Yemenis from the epidemic.
Financial pledges made by donor states and parties at humanitarian conferences constitute moral and political commitments that embody the principles of solidarity and international cooperation enshrined in the United Nations Charter and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. These commitments require states to take collective action to guarantee the rights to health and safe water, particularly during humanitarian crises, and to cooperate internationally by providing technical and financial assistance when needed.
Honouring these pledges is not a voluntary act but an essential part of the international response system, directly enabling humanitarian organisations to deliver life-saving interventions and prevent the collapse of basic services in conflict-affected and crisis-hit countries.
Available data on Yemen's cholera outbreak likely understate the true scale of the crisis. Actual infections and deaths are believed to be much higher due to weak surveillance systems, limited healthcare coverage, and many families' reluctance to report cases because of the difficulty in accessing medical facilities. These factors make accurately assessing the epidemic's scope extremely difficult.
The cholera outbreak has become endemic in Yemen due to its extensive spread, high infection and death rates, and failure to address root causes. Between 2017 and 2020, Yemen suffered the largest cholera outbreak in modern history, and new cases are still recorded daily, further straining an already collapsed health system amid dwindling international funding and fragile water and sanitation infrastructure.
The ongoing armed conflict in Yemen, now in its tenth year, has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and directly fuelled the spread of cholera while undermining control efforts. Repeated airstrikes and shelling have destroyed large parts of the water and sanitation networks. At the same time, restrictions on humanitarian organisations have delayed or obstructed maintenance, rehabilitation, and the work of vaccination and prevention teams in affected areas.
Years of conflict and deep political and administrative divisions have complicated coordination and hindered the collection of data vital for humanitarian interventions. This has delayed cholera detection in some areas and deprived others of adequate health services, due to fragmented authorities, overlapping responsibilities, and weak field monitoring systems.
The most vulnerable groups, particularly children and women, bear the greatest burden of humanitarian crises, including cholera outbreaks. Tens of thousands of Yemeni children contract acute diarrhoea caused by cholera each year, leading to dehydration, severe malnutrition, and life-threatening illness. Severe overcrowding in displacement camps, poor hygiene and sanitation, and limited access to safe water make these camps ideal environments for the rapid spread of the disease among vulnerable groups.
In a statement to Euro-Med Monitor, Tayseer al-Samei, media official at the Yemeni Ministry of Health, said that the decline in international support for Yemen's health sector over the past two years has weakened cholera rapid response teams and reduced awareness and education campaigns. This has led to a strong resurgence of the epidemic, as the government struggles to contain it amid pressure on health facilities, limited foreign aid, and the devastating impact of the war, which has crippled state institutions, particularly the health sector.
Dr Yassin Abdul Malik from Taiz Governorate told Euro-Med Monitor: "Healthcare workers, especially in Taiz, work on a day-labour basis or under contracts funded by international organisations. A decline in international support will inevitably halt their work, leading to serious consequences, most notably the resurgence of a widespread cholera outbreak."
"We examined samples from water wells and household water tanks and found them contaminated with cholera, along with some vegetables such as leeks and parsley," he added. "One of the main factors behind the widespread cholera outbreak in Taiz Governorate is the war-induced disruption of the sewage network, which has led to the contamination of fruits and vegetables sold on the streets."
He continued: "The large population and the siege imposed on the governorate, including restricted access to clean water sources, have forced residents to endure severe scarcity and rely on contaminated water."
According to UN data, declining humanitarian funding has forced aid agencies to suspend or scale back vital programmes, leaving millions without life-saving assistance. More than 19 million people in Yemen need healthcare services, including 17 million without sufficient water for basic needs, which remains a major factor behind the continued spread of cholera.
The Yemeni government, the de facto authorities, and all parties to the conflict must mobilise all available resources to combat the cholera outbreak. Euro-Med Monitor stresses the need to fully facilitate the work of local and international health organisations, immediately end the targeting or monopolisation of water resources, allow urgent maintenance of water and wastewater treatment plants, invest in strengthening health facilities and hospital preparedness, and ensure unhindered access to medical supplies and fuel in all affected areas.
All concerned states and donors must honour their financial pledges to Yemen's humanitarian response plan and avoid reducing allocations to international and UN organisations that play a vital role in combating cholera.
Local authorities face deep institutional gaps and severely limited operational capacity, hindering their ability to implement essential interventions. Continued financial shortfalls risk the collapse of vital water, sanitation, and basic healthcare programmes.
The international community bears primary responsibility for addressing the root causes of Yemen's humanitarian crises by ending the conflict, advancing a comprehensive peace process, strengthening economic recovery, and rebuilding public institutions and essential services, including water, sanitation, health, and education systems.
Euro-Med Monitor stresses that sustainable peace and balanced development are essential to ending recurring humanitarian crises, preventing epidemics, and ensuring all Yemenis enjoy their rights to a decent life, health, and safe water.
