USD 3.9 billion needed for war-torn Yemen, says UN

A top humanitarian official of the United Nations said on Wednesday that the UN would need around USD 3.9 billion this year to help millions of people in war-hit Yemen.

Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ramesh Rajasingham told the UN Security Council that "the biggest constraint right now is funding" to help some 16 million people in Yemen, where a civil war has raged for over seven years.

"I call on all donors to sustain –- and if possible, to increase –- their support this year," Rajasingham said. 

Rajasingham added that funding had been decreasing in recent years. He said that last year's response plan was pnly funded at 58 per cent as UN World Food Program in December announced cuts in its assistance budget for eight million people.

"Other vital programs, including water, protection and reproductive health services, have also been forced to scale back or close in recent weeks for lack of funds," Rajasingham said.

Aside from funding, humanitarian access and security also remain major impediments to aid.

Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when Iranian-backed Huthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to prop up the government the following year.

The UN has estimated the war killed 377,000 people by the end of 2021, both directly and indirectly through hunger and disease.

(With inputs from agencies)