Food Shortages in Yemen

The cost of Yemen's uprising and its collapsing economy, many believe, poses the greatest threat to the country's stability. Flour prices have doubled, LCs are difficult to come by. President Saleh will be replaced by the Vice President but the radical Islamist forces backed by the military are gaining ground.

The increased spending by the Yemen government comes as revenues have dropped. Some estimates indicate oil production has halved in the past two months, after oil companies pulled out their staff and tribesmen set ablaze an oil pipeline connecting Marib's oil fields to the Red Sea last month.

While Yemen's powerful neighbour Saudi Arabia has recently poured tens of billions into Bahrain and Oman to help governments there, Riyad seems to be in no rush to come to Yemen's rescue. Many take this as a sign the Saudis have given up on the Yemeni government.

"In one of the Wikileaks, the Saudis complained that all the money they send to Yemen ends up in Swiss accounts, so they don't see the benefit of intervening, they are fed up with the current regime," says Sanaa-based analyst Abdel Ghani al-Iriyani.

The government is taking measures to keep rial stable, but if there is any confrontation, rial will collapse and with it Yemen will collapse.

"People will have no access to food and water. People will fight," he adds