$4.3B required for Yemen humanitarian needs in 2023 says UN

The United Nations has told the world it needs $4.3 billion to fund its humanitarian activities in war-torn Yemen this year.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday the funds are required to help 17.3 million most vulnerable people in Yemen.

The agency said it plans to deliver “urgent life-saving” assistance to 14 million people in 2023. In total, 21.6 million — two thirds of the country’s population — would need humanitarian assistance and protection services this year, down from 23.4 million people in 2022, OCHA estimated.

Last year, the U.N. humanitarian plan cost $4.27 billion to assist 17.9 million people.

Yemen has been convulsed by civil war since 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015 to try to restore the government to power.

The war has deteriorated largely into a stalemate and spawned one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis resumed direct talks last year, facilitated by Oman following the initial truce. Riyadh is seeking to build ties with the group, which is the de facto authority in North Yemen and controls large swathes of Yemen's border with the kingdom.

Hans Grundberg, the United Nations envoy for Yemen who has been pushing for an extended and expanded truce, has stressed the need for an inclusive and comprehensive approach in order to reach a sustainable political solution.