The UK is being attacked for cutting the aid it gives to Yemen. The UK said it would cut the amount of humanitarian aid to Yemen by more than 50 per cent. Three weeks ago, the UK foreign office minister said Yemen would stay a "UK priority country". He said his government would use all efforts to bring peace. Yemen is one of the world's least developed countries. The UN reports that Yemen is the country with the most people in need of aid. There are about 24 million people who need help. This is about 85 per cent of its population. It ranks second worst in the Global Hunger Index.
There could be a terrible humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Millions of people are struggling to find food. The threat of a famine is deepening the crisis. A civil war has ruined hospitals. A refugee expert said: "We are seeing a...countdown to a possible famine that the world hasn't seen since...the 1980s." The UN said: "More than 50,000 people are starving to death and 16 million will go hungry this year." It added that the UK cut in aid this year would be very sad. A UK newspaper said: "Yemenis aren't starving, they are being starved."