CAIRO (AP) — The war in Yemen has pushed the country to the brink of famine, with both commercial food imports and aid deliveries held up by the fighting and millions of hungry women and children facing possible starvation, the United Nations said Wednesday. 
 
 In this picture taken Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, a child gets attended to in Sanaa, Yemen, during a visit by Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme. The United Nations says the war... (Associated Press) 
 
 Executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), Ertharin Cousin speaks during a press conference in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015. The United Nations says the war in Yemen has pushed... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this picture taken Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, a child gets attended to in Sanaa, Yemen, during a visit by Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme. The United Nations says the war... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this picture taken Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, a mother gives water to her child in Sanaa, Yemen, during a visit by Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme. The United Nations says... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this picture taken Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, Yemeni women hold their children in the capital Sanaa, during a visit by Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme. The United Nations... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this picture taken Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, talks to a Yemeni woman in the capital Sanaa. The United Nations says the war in Yemen has... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this picture taken Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, center, sits with Yemeni children in the capital Sanaa. The United Nations says the war in... (Associated Press) 
 
 Ertharin Cousin, head of the U.N.'s World Food Program, said that while some food aid is flowing in, fighting around major ports is stalling deliveries, while reaching the country's interior is proving difficult and donor funding is still falling short. 
 
 "If we do not receive the additional access that is required to meet the needs of those who are affected by this ongoing conflict, if we cannot support the commercial markets by ensuring that the ports are open and providing food to ensure that those who have resources can buy the food that is necessary, and if we do not see increased donor support, we are facing the perfect storm in Yemen," she told reporters in Cairo. 
 
 Cousin was in Cairo following a three-day trip to Yemen. The WFP says all sides in the conflict must approve food deliveries. 
 
 U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien, who also just returned from Yemen, told the U.N. Security Council "the scale of human suffering is almost incomprehensible." 
 
 He said he was shocked by what he saw: Four out of five Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance, nearly 1.5 million people are internally displaced, and people were using cardboard for mattresses at a hospital where lights flickered, the blood bank had closed and there were no more examination gloves. 
 
 Yemen's conflict pits Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against southern separatists, local and tribal militias, Sunni Islamic militants and troops loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is in exile in Saudi Arabia. 
 
 The humanitarian situation has steadily deteriorated since the fighting picked up in March, when Saudi Arabia launched a U.S.-backed coalition air campaign against Houthi forces and their allies, which control large swaths of the country, including the capital. 
 
 Saudi Arabia views the Houthis as a proxy of its arch rival, Shiite powerhouse Iran, and an attempt to expand its influence on the Arabian Peninsula. Iran supports the Houthis politically but denies arming them. 
 
 Pro-government forces pushed the rebels out of the southern port city of Aden last month and have made gains in the surrounding provinces. But their advance stalled on Tuesday after a rebel ambush killed dozens of fighters. 
 
 Since August, the food program says it has been able to make 16 deliveries via sea to Yemen, accounting for over 123,000 metric tons of food. But difficulties remain because of the fighting, which has caused port closures. The western port city of Hodeida was hit with airstrikes Tuesday night. 
 
 "We actually had a ship berthed in port that was not damaged but had not been given clearance to offload when that bombing attack occurred," Cousin said. "We're bringing in food from Hodeida that because of the conflict we can't get to the south. 
 
 "We have right now, a ship sitting off the port of Aden that has materials in it that we could use in the south, and we're still waiting for permission for that ship to come in," she said, adding that in order to access the rest of the country, all the ports must be open. 
 
 Oxfam's country director, Philippe Clerc, said only two humanitarian vessels have been able to dock and off-load at the Hodeida port in the past more than two weeks. 
 
 O'Brien, the U.N. humanitarian chief, called the airstrikes and shelling at Hodeidah a violation of international humanitarian law, saying they damaged "the main lifelines" for importing crucial food, medicine and fuel and could severely impact the entire country. 
 
 Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, needs to import food even in peacetime. 
 
 The WFP estimates that nearly 13 million people in Yemen lack proper access to food, with 6 million, or one in five of the country's population, in urgent need of assistance. The organization is seeking financial support for a $320 million emergency operation program it expects to launch in September. 
 
 Other organizations also registered alarm on Wednesday over the desperate situation in Yemen. 
 
 The U.N.'s humanitarian office says to 4,500 people have been killed and a further 23,000 have been wounded to date, many of them civilians. 
 
 Human Rights Watch and 22 other human rights and humanitarian organizations said that the U.N.'s Human Rights Council should create a commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of war crimes by all parties since September 2014. 
 
 In Geneva, the head of the International Red Cross said: "Yemen after five months looks like Syria after five years." 
 
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 Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations. ||||| The conflict in Yemen has killed nearly 400 children since the end of March, and a similar number of children have been recruited by armed groups, according to a new report by the UN children's agency. 
 
 
 
 UNICEF's report released on Wednesday, says that 398 children have been killed and 377 others have been recruited to fight since the Saudi-led coalition began air strikes in Yemen. 
 
 "This conflict is a particular tragedy for Yemeni children," Julien Harneis, UNICEF Representative in Yemen, said. 
 
 "Children are being killed by bombs or bullets and those that survive face the growing threat of disease and malnutrition. This cannot be allowed to continue," he added. 
 
 The UN said that as devastating as the conflict is for the lives of children, it will have terrifying consequences for their future. 
 
 On Wednesday, Amnesty International, said that all sides fighting in Yemen have left a "trail of civilian death and destruction" in the conflict, killing scores of innocent people in what could amount to war crimes. 
 
 The London-based rights group said the violence has been particularly deadly in the southern city of Aden and in Taiz, with dozens of children among those killed. 
 
 Yemen's conflict pits the Houthis and troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against forces including southern separatists, tribal fighters and troops backing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is in exile in Saudi Arabia. 
 
 The Saudis are leading a US-backed Arab coalition that is carrying out air strikes against Houthi fighters since March. 
 
 
 
 Civilian death toll 
 
 Overall, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday, at least 1,950 civilians have been killed in the fighting and 1,3 million others have fled their homes. 
 
 One minute Yemen 
 
 The UN and aid groups have called repeatedly for ways to get food, fuel, medicine and other supplies into Yemen, but tight restrictions imposed by the coalition on air and sea transport remain in place, while Yemen's exiled government accuses the Houthis of hijacking aid. 
 
 Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world, and its population relies on imports for about 90 percent of its supplies. Attempts at UN-brokered humanitarian pauses to bring in aid have failed. 
 
 The new UNICEF report says about 10 million children, or half of the country's population, need urgent humanitarian assistance. 
 
 It also says more than half a million pregnant women in Yemen's hardest-hit areas are at higher risk for birth or pregnancy complications because they cannot get to medical facilities ||||| SANA’A/ADEN - Seeing first-hand the challenges facing millions of people affected by the crisis in Yemen, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Ertharin Cousin, warned that lack of immediate and unhindered access to people who urgently need food assistance and the shortage of funding create the possibility of famine for millions, mostly women and children already hungry in this war-torn country. 
 
 The conflict exacerbates the country’s extremely fragile food security situation. WFP estimates that the number of food insecure people in Yemen is now close to 13 million, including 6 million who are severely food insecure and in urgent need of external assistance – that is one in five of the country’s population. 
 
 “Right now, the conflict-driven convergence between the lack of staple food, access to clean water, and a diminished fuel supply create the dawn of a perfect storm for the most vulnerable Yemeni people,” said Ertharin Cousin, WFP Executive Director. 
 
 “The disruption in the commercial food sector creates significant reductions in imports which causes an inflationary effect on market prices for food and other basic commodities. As a result, we are starting to see a double effect of the conflict as even the people who could previously afford to meet their food needs are today unable to buy food.” 
 
 During a three-day visit, Cousin, travelled to Sana’a, Amran and Aden. She met with displaced families taking refuge in school buildings, mothers and their young malnourished children at health centres and hospitals, as well as families at food distribution sites. She also held meetings with the authorities on both sides of the frontlines, WFP staff, UN sister agencies and NGO partners. 
 
 More than 1.2 million children are suffering from moderate acute malnutrition and over half a million children are severely malnourished. “The damage to Yemen’s next generation may become irreversible if we don’t reach children quickly with the right food at the right time. We must act now before it is too late,” said Cousin. 
 
 The recent fighting around major ports will stall the commercial and humanitarian supplies to the country mainly food and fuel. Shortages of fuel are not only impacting the food distribution system of both the humanitarian and the private sector but will have a devastating effect on access to clean water, health, electricity and other basic services. 
 
 WFP has reached 3.5 million people with food since the beginning of the conflict but the fighting makes deliveries difficult and dangerous. Many road networks in the hardest hit areas of the country are still not operational, making communities in conflict-areas inaccessible for aid workers. 
 
 A recent vulnerability assessment conducted by WFP using mobile phone technology, reaching some of the households in areas inaccessible by teams on the ground, reflected that the deteriorating food security situation is particularly affecting the internally displaced families. Many families are existing on bread, rice and tea. The most common themes mentioned by the people interviewed for the assessment are “high food prices”, “shortages”, “lack of water” and a “deteriorating” situation. 
 
 The assessment showed that emergency food security conditions currently prevail in conflict-affected governorates. This phase is one step away from famine levels. Food insecurity is most severe for the country’s 1.3 million internally displaced people. 
 
 Shortage of drinking water is a critical issue. The price of water in Sana’a had tripled since the start of the conflict because pumping systems have been hit by the lack of diesel fuel. Water is critical for families to prepare food and has an impact on people keeping livestock, which is very important for livelihoods in the country. 
 
 An emergency operation planned to start in September is expected to cost some US$320 million for a period of six months. WFP implores the entire global community to recognize the urgency of the Yemeni crisis, with a specific call to those who have made commitments to expeditiously fulfil their pledges. WFP is grateful to the donors who have financially contributed or pledged support to the Yemen response including the European Commission (ECHO), Germany, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. 
 
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 Steve Taravella, WFP/Washington DC, Tel. +1 202 653 1149, Mob. +1 202 770 5993 ||||| Image copyright AFP Image caption More than 21 million people in Yemen are in need of help, according to the UN 
 
 Yemen's conflict has left it on the brink of famine, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has warned. 
 
 Food shortages, lack of fresh water, and low fuel stocks have created a "perfect storm" for the Yemeni people, the WFP's Ertharin Cousin said. 
 
 The organisation estimates nearly 13 million people urgently require help. 
 
 The conflict has involved Houthi rebel fighters clashing with forces loyal to the Yemeni government and its allies, led by Saudi Arabia. 
 
 Ms Cousin, who was speaking after a three-day trip to Yemen. said aid agencies were unable to reach areas of need because of the ongoing violence. 
 
 Yemen Crisis Four months of fighting between Houthi rebels and government forces, and Saudi-led coalition air strikes, have left the impoverished country in chaos 80% of the population need aid 
 
 13m people face food shortages 
 
 1.4m forced from their homes 
 
 2,000 civilians killed 
 
 She warned of "irreversible" damage unless food could reach the estimated 1.2m children suffering malnutrition. 
 
 A recent WFP assessment of food security on the ground concluded Yemen was "one step away" from famine. 
 
 In the latest violence, a bomb exploded next to the governor's office in the southern city of Aden, killing four people. 
 
 Sally Nabil, BBC correspondent in Aden 
 
 Although the fighting is over, the humanitarian situation in Aden remains dire. Pro-government forces have driven out the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels but the people are in desperate need. 
 
 Many of the residential neighbourhoods have been reduced to ruins and thousands of Yemenis are still living in schools and mosques, with little access to food, water or medicine. There is no sign they are going to return home any time soon. 
 
 A lot of areas around the city are full of landmines and explosive devices. One lady told me her neighbour went back to check his house after the fighting stopped, but the moment he opened the door an explosion was triggered. She said she doesn't want to face the same fate. 
 
 As we walked around Aden, we saw some neighbourhoods overflowing with sewage water. Parents say their children are suffering from malaria, diarrhoea and skin diseases. 
 
 Hospitals are overwhelmed with war casualties who don't receive adequate medical treatment. Many die on their way to the medical facilities because ambulances are poorly equipped. Doctors say many victims need to be taken abroad because their conditions are too serious to be treated in Yemen. 
 
 Last month, government forces retook Aden from the Houthis in a major setback for the rebels. 
 
 Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien, who has also just returned from Yemen, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that "the scale of human suffering is almost incomprehensible". 
 
 He also strongly criticised the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen for bombing the port of Hodeida, saying it was a violation of international humanitarian law. 
 
 Image copyright EPA Image caption Gulf states intervened in Yemen in a bid to restore the exiled government's control 
 
 A WFP ship was in the port, which is on the country's west coast, when it was hit by air strikes on Tuesday night. 
 
 "I am extremely concerned that the damage to the port of Hodeida could have a severe impact on the entire country and will deepen humanitarian needs," Mr O'Brien said. 
 
 The UN has raised Yemen to its highest level of humanitarian crisis, placing it alongside emergencies in South Sudan, Syria and Iraq. 
 
 Nearly 2,000 civilians are said to have died since the coalition began its bombing campaign in support of the exiled government in March. 
 
 What makes a famine? 
 
 As grim as the humanitarian situation is in Yemen, the WFP stops short of declaring a famine there in its latest update. 
 
 The UN uses the term sparingly and will only declare a famine once certain conditions are met. 
 
 They are: over 20% of households in an area face extreme food shortages with a limited ability to cope; acute malnutrition rates exceed 30%; and the death rate exceeds two per day per 10,000 people. 
 
 Calling the situation in Yemen a famine would instantly raise awareness, but that labelling makes little difference to the Yemeni people already suffering. 
 
 The UN says a "humanitarian catastrophe" is under way, and has called for urgent support from donors. 
 
 Why is there fighting in Yemen? 
 
 Image copyright AFP 
 
 Northern Shia Muslim rebels known as Houthis, backed by forces loyal to Yemen's ex-president, took over parts of Yemen, including Sanaa, and forced the government into exile in March 
 
 The rebels accused the government of corruption and of planning to marginalise their heartland within a proposed federal system 
 
 Forces loyal to the government, and southern militia, are fighting back, aided by air strikes led by neighbouring Saudi Arabia 
 
 Yemen crisis: Who is fighting whom? 
 
 Meeting the Houthis and their enemies ||||| 21 July 2011  For many months United Nations aid agencies have warned of an impending crisis in the Horn of Africa as drought, failed harvests and fighting in some areas led to increasing food insecurity. Now conditions are so grim that the UN has turned to a word it uses sparingly and specifically – famine. 
 
 Yesterday the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) declared that a famine exists in two regions of southern Somalia, and warned that the famine could soon spread to the rest of southern Somalia. 
 
 While many countries worldwide face food security crises, with large numbers of people hungry and unable to find enough food, only rarely do the conditions meet the humanitarian community’s formal criteria for a famine. The last time it was used in Somalia, for example, was in 1991-92, despite several periods of protracted drought and other problems in the intervening years. 
 
 A famine can be declared only when certain measures of mortality, malnutrition and hunger are met. They are: at least 20 per cent of households in an area face extreme food shortages with a limited ability to cope; acute malnutrition rates exceed 30 per cent; and the death rate exceeds two persons per day per 10,000 persons. 
 
 Other factors considered in these areas of Somalia include large-scale displacement, widespread destitution, disease outbreaks and social collapse. 
 
 The definition has been developed through the work of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which includes specialists from humanitarian agencies, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP), as well as leading non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Government aid agencies. 
 
 The gathering of data to determine whether the criteria are met is in this case in the hands of the UN-backed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit-Somalia (FSNAU), which is administered by FAO. FSNAU then passes the information to the UN, aid agencies and the United States Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). 
 
 The declaration of a famine carries no binding obligations on the UN or Member States, but serves to focus global attention on the problem. 
 
 According to WFP, famines have been declared previously in southern areas of Sudan in 2008; in Gode in the Somali region of Ethiopia in 2000; in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1996; in Somalia in 1991-1992, and Ethiopia in 1984-1985.
– Things continue to deteriorate in Yemen as the conflict between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces grinds on. But now there's a new problem in the mix: a possible famine, created by what Ertharin Cousin, the executive director of the UN's World Food Programme, calls a "perfect storm" of "lack of staple food, access to clean water, and a diminished fuel supply." In a press release, WFP estimates there are nearly 13 million of what it calls "food insecure" people in the war-torn country, with almost half in especially dire straits. That includes 1.2 million kids who suffer from "moderate" malnourishment and half a million who are severely affected. "The damage to Yemen's next generation may become irreversible if we don't reach children quickly with the right food at the right time," Cousin says. "We must act now before it is too late." Cousin saw the crisis firsthand during a recent three-day trip around the country, where she met with displaced families, moms and malnourished kids in hospitals, and people gathered at food-distribution centers. The UN's humanitarian chief also recently returned from Yemen and told the UN Security Council yesterday that "the scale of human suffering is almost incomprehensible," per the BBC. Semantics means the WFP can't call the situation a full-fledged famine just yet: Per the UN, a food crisis is only considered as such if one-fifth of households have limited ability to deal with "extreme" food shortages; acute malnutrition rates surpass 30%; and the daily death rate is more than two per every 10,000 people. Continued conflict in Yemeni ports has exacerbated the problem, the BBC notes, with a WFP ship hammered by airstrikes Tuesday night in Hodeida. (Per UNICEF, 398 children have been killed in Yemen since March, Al Jazeera reports.)