CHARITIES working in Yemen have slammed the shortfall in global pledges to help millions suffering from the fallout of a devastating eight-year civil war.

The United Nations said on Monday that donors have pledged around $1.2 billion (£990 million) at a conference aimed at generating funds to help millions of people in Yemen. 

The amount is far below a target of $4.3bn (£3.5bn) set by the UN to address one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

More than 21 million people in Yemen, or two-thirds of the population, need help and protection, according to the UN office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA).

Addressing the donors, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said: “The people of Yemen deserve our support. But more than that, they deserve a credible path out of perpetual conflict and a chance to rebuild their communities and country.”

OCHA head Martin Griffiths said that it received 31 pledges at Monday’s conference, totalling about $1.2bn (£990.2m). He said that the UN hopes to collect more funds throughout the year to help cover its needs.

But charities working in Yemen slammed the shortfall in global pledges.

Norwegian Refugee Council’s Yemen director Erin Hutchinson said: “The international community today showed that it has abandoned Yemen at this crucial crossroads.

“This is woefully inadequate and gives the signal that some humans are less valuable than others.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross said: “Funding shortages risk turbo-charging Yemen’s humanitarian woes from bad to worse.”

Sweden’s Minister for International Development, Co-operation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell called the conference a “good start.

“But with 21 million Yemenis in need of assistance, clearly more funding will be needed throughout the year,” he said.

Iran-backed rebel Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north in a revolt against the country’s Saudi-backed ruler Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in 2014. The following year Saudi Arabia launched a brutal war on the country to restore its ally, which has raged since.

The UN Development Agency estimated in 2021 that the war had killed more than 377,000 people. It has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages.

The conference is taking place as the warring sides continue to observe an informal and fragile ceasefire. Efforts are underway to declare a new truce after the parties failed to renew a UN-brokered truce in October.