[ad_1]
Yemen could be facing the worst famine of the last 100 years if air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition are not halted, the UN warned.
If the war continues, famine could invade the country in the next three months, with 12 to 13 million civilians at risk of starvation, according to Lise Grande, the agency's humanitarian coordinator for Yemen.
She told the BBC: "I think that many of us have felt, at the beginning of the 21st century, that it was unthinkable to experience a famine like the one we experienced in Ethiopia, Bengal, in some areas of the Soviet Union. – it was just unacceptable.
"Many of us had the confidence that would never happen again and yet, the reality is that in Yemen, that is precisely what we are looking at."
Yemen has been plagued by a bloody civil war for three years after Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, seized a large part of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting rebels since 2015 to support the internationally recognized government.
Thousands of civilians were captured in the middle, trapped in minefields and mortar barrages and air strikes. The resulting humanitarian disaster left at least 10,000 people dead and millions displaced.
On Sunday night, Grande said, "There is no doubt that we should be ashamed and we should, every day we stand up, renew our commitment to do everything in our power to help the people who are suffering and to put end to the conflict. "
His comments came after the UN and aid workers condemned an airstrike in which the Saudi-led coalition targeted Shia rebels in Yemen, killing at least 15 people near the port city of Hodeidah.
A video broadcast by the rebels showed the remains of a mutilated minibus littered with groceries after Saturday 's attack, causing 20 others injured.
Houthi rebels said five members of the same family were among the victims, adding that many children were among the victims.
"The United Nations agencies present in Yemen unequivocally condemn the attack on civilians and offer their deepest condolences to the families of the victims," said Mr. Grande.
She added: "Under international humanitarian law, the parties to the conflict are bound to respect the principles of precaution, proportionality and distinction. Belligerents must do everything in their power to protect civilians and not to injure, maim, injure or kill them. "
Hodeidah, with its key port facilities that bring the UN and other humanitarian aid, has become the center of the conflict in Yemen, with ground troops allied to the coalition fighting to drive out the rebels who control it.
According to aid workers, the number of civilians killed and maimed, including many children, in the Red Sea city has increased in the last three months.
Since June, more than 170 people have been killed and at least 1,700 have been injured in Hodeidah province, and more than 425,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.
A Gulf coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is trying to regain control of the strategic port city.
If all the Yemeni militias capture the city, it would be their biggest victory against the rebels, although the battle on the Red Sea coast threatens to throw Yemen into a real famine.
Last month, Save the Children warned that the fighting was turning into a "war on children," with thousands of people injured in attacks.
During a visit to Yemen, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, executive director of the association, warned that attacks on schools and hospitals were on the rise, children on the front line of violence and doctors unable to cope to the influx of wounded.
Meanwhile, the country's currency collapsed and food prices doubled last month, fueling the threat of famine.
