A further one million children are at risk of famine in Yemen, Save the Children has warned.

Rising food prices and the falling value of the Yemeni currency as a result of the conflict are putting more families at risk of food insecurity.

But another threat comes from fighting around the key port city of Hudaydah, which is the entry point for most aid to the country's rebel-held areas.

The charity says a total of 5.2 million children in Yemen now face famine.

Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in early 2015, when Houthi rebels seized control of much of the west of the country and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee abroad.

Alarmed by the rise of a group they saw as an Iranian proxy, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and seven other Arab states intervened in an attempt to restore the government.

The war has led to severe delays in paying the salaries of teachers and public servants, with some people receiving no wages for almost two years.

Those who are paid face food prices which are 68% more expensive than when the war began.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni Riyal has lost almost 180% of its value over the same period, according to Save the Children.

BBC Online

BDST: 1105 HRS, SEPT 19, 2018
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