Half of Yemenis live below the poverty line

Behind the latest drama in Yemen lie a host of economic woes. Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world, and struggles to feed its people.

Aid agencies are warning that more than half the country’s nearly 26 million people risk a humanitarian disaster.

Reminder: roughly half of the population of #Yemen lives below the poverty line. Hard to imagine that military action wont exacerbate this.
— Adam Baron (@adammbaron) March 26, 2015

Saudi Arabia - Yemen's northern neighbour who are leading the bombing campaign against the Houthis - has allegedly cut some financial support after the Houthi rise.

This latest violence could make aid delivery for the vulnerable more difficult. In a statement, UNICEF said that 5,400 children had seen their school examinations interrupted, with many being trapped for hours as fighting between Houthi rebels and government forces raged on the streets outside.