WFP seeks $460 million more for Yemen to prevent famine

AMMAN, Jordan – The head of the World Food Program says the agency is racing against time to prevent famine in war-scarred Yemen.

Ertharin Cousin said Monday that 7 million people face severe food shortages.

She says that without increased international funding and more access to the hungry, “we will see famine-like conditions” and that people will die in some of the hardest-hit areas.

Cousin spoke in Jordan after a three-day visit to Yemen.

The agency says it urgently needs $460 million through August as well as access by sea and land to help all 7 million people who cannot survive without food aid.

The Arab world’s poorest country has been ravaged by a two-year-old conflict between Houthi rebels and an internationally recognized government. The fighting has left more than 10,000 civilians dead.