UN says Yemen on brink of famine again as aid funds dry up

Yemen is once again on the brink of famine, as donor funds that helped avert catastrophe just 18 months ago have dried up, the country’s UN humanitarian coordinator Lise Grande has said. As much of the country is dependent on aid, the coronavirus pandemic is raging unchecked.

Millions of vulnerable families could quickly move from “being able to hold on to being in free fall,” Grande told AFP, adding that countless children are already facing starvation.

The UN raised only around half the required $2.41 billion in aid for Yemen at a June donor conference co-hosted by Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition fighting Houthi rebels.

Saudi Arabia emerged as the biggest donor at the June event, pledging $500 million. Britain and the US, both major weapons suppliers to Saudi Arabia, also stepped in with large packages. However, Grande said that only nine of the 31 donors had actually provided the funds.