The UN has launched an appeal to raise $4.2 billion to help the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. It is the UN's largest ever appeal. It comes after Yemen has been ravaged by years of war and is near famine. The UN needs the money to help 19 million people in the war-torn nation. Nearly a quarter of a million Yemenis are suffering from malnutrition and are close to starving. Around 80 per cent of Yemenis need urgent humanitarian help and protection. A UN spokesperson said the suffering of people in Yemen has reached a scale not seen in living memory.
The UN has finally got access to food stored at warehouses in the port of Hudaydah. There is enough food there for around 3.7 million people for a month. The port has been inaccessible because of heavy fighting. The UN worried about the food being at risk of rotting. It said government forces and Houthi rebels could withdraw from the city soon. The UN added: "It has really been a horrific year for millions...in Yemen, who are literally balancing on the edge of famine and starvation. They need massive amounts of aid, water, sanitation, and education for their children."