UN: Yemen on the brink of starvation

Funds needed to feed millions of people in war-ravaged Yemen could run out in a matter of weeks, a senior United Nations official warned, calling on donors to inject more cash to avert a large-scale famine, Report informs.

World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley told Reuters the first half of 2022 would be "brutal" for Yemen, which has teetered on the brink of starvation after nearly seven years of war between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi group.

The war and ensuing economic collapse, as well as coalition restrictions on imports to Houthi-held areas, have caused what the United Nations says is the world's biggest humanitarian crisis, with 16 million people face starvation.

Battles have escalated in recent weeks in the energy-rich regions of Marib and Shabwa, further hampering aid flows in a country where 80% of the 30 million population needs help. The UN children's agency UNICEF said earlier this month that four out of every five children require humanitarian assistance, while 400,000 suffer from acute malnutrition.