Humanitarian aid projects in Yemen ‘reaching a breaking point’ amid COVID-19 pandemic: UN body

The World Food Programme on Tuesday said it needs $870 million to provide badly needed assistance to millions of Yemenis over the next six months. International donors had slashed funding earlier this year in response to obstruction by the Houthi rebels, leaving a major shortfall.

The UN food agency has warned that humanitarian aid projects in war-torn Yemen are ?reaching a breaking point? amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The World Food Programme on Tuesday said it needs $870 million to provide badly needed assistance to millions of Yemenis over the next six months. International donors had slashed funding earlier this year in response to obstruction by the Houthi rebels, leaving a major shortfall.

The appeal comes as Yemen’s devastated health system struggles to contain the virus.

Although the internationally recognised government has reported just 249 infections and 49 deaths, the number of people dying with COVID-19 symptoms has dramatically spiked across the country, indicating a much larger outbreak.

WFP says it expects the coronavirus to push ?many more children in Yemen into acute malnutrition.