UN launches $4.3bn aid appeal for Yemen

The United Nations launched a 4.3-billion dollars appeal on Wednesday for donations to Yemen, where seven years of war have left the country scarred by destruction, hunger and economic collapse.

The UN fears other crises are being pushed to the background by the war in Ukraine.

So far, there is no sign of governments diverting funds but money for Yemen is dwindling, said Martin Griffiths, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

A virtual pledging conference will feature addresses by UN Secretary General, António Guterres and Hollywood star, Angelina Jolie.

In 2021, 2.35 billion dollars was raised for Yemen but money to avert catastrophe is running out, Griffiths warned.

“I fear that if the funding gap isn’t addressed, it will simply be a death sentence for people,” he said.

According to UN estimates, the need in Yemen and other crisis areas will worsen due to the Ukraine war.

Yemen imports a third of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine.

Rising prices make it even more difficult for the people there to feed themselves.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported this week that 2.2 million children are severely malnourished across Yemen and half a million are in a life-threatening condition.

Only half of the health facilities are functioning and every two hours, a woman dies from complications during childbirth, the UN estimates.

Yemen has been roiled by a devastating power struggle since late 2014.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia formed a military coalition backing the Yemeni government against the Houthi rebels in response to their advance on the temporary capital of Aden.

More than 370,000 people are estimated to have died in the conflict, with millions displaced in their own country.