UN Fails in Push for Global Aid for Yemen, Warns of Widespread Famine 

The United Nations on Monday announced that it had managed to raise a measly $1.7 billion for humanitarian relief in Yemen, less than half of the target sum the world body was hoping for. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres did not mince words in articulating his displeasure, saying the amount was “disappointing” and that the reduced donations were “a death sentence” for millions of Yemenis. It was the second year in a row in which the UN failed to deliver on its desired aid goal, leading officials to predict a “large-scale famine” in Yemen would be inevitable. Among the pledges made Monday were $191 million by the United States, $230 million by the United Arab Emirates and $240 million from Germany. Saudi Arabia, the country leading the coalition fighting to reinstate ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in Saana and considered largely responsible for the ongoing crisis, coughed up $430 billion. According to the UN, over 16 million Yemenis are going hungry, 5 million of them on the brink of famine. Nearly half a million children are dangerously malnourished. The civil war between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognized government is considered the worst humanitarian disaster in the world today.