Yemen facing worst famine in a century

The war in Yemen has left hundreds of thousands of children suffering from acute malnutrition. Photo / AP

Yemen is on the verge of the "worst famine in a century", the United Nations has warned.

As many as 13 million civilians are at risk of dying from the lack of food in the war-torn country in the next three months, according to Lisa Grande, the UN's humanitarian co-ordinator for Yemen. "I think many of us felt as we went into the 21st century that it was unthinkable that we could see a famine like we saw in Ethiopia, that we saw in Bengal, that we saw in parts of the Soviet Union, that it was just unacceptable.

"Yet the reality is that in Yemen that is precisely what we are looking at."

Yemen, a country of about 30 million, has been in the grip of a civil war for three years after Houthi rebels seized much of the country.

Saudi Arabia, which backs the Government, has imposed a blockade on the main Houthi-controlled port, restricting the amount of food and other aid allowed into the country.

The warning came as UN and humanitarian workers condemned an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition targeting Yemen's Shia Houthi rebels that reportedly killed at least 15 civilians near the port city of Hodeida.

Video footage released by the Houthis showed a mangled minibus littered with groceries and a woman's handbag, with rebel officials saying a day earlier that the airstrike in the Jebel Ras area had also wounded 20 others.

The Houthis said five members of the same family were killed in the vehicle, adding that many women and children were among the casualties.

Eyewitnesses said the attack appeared to target a rebel checkpoint in the area.

"The United Nations agencies working in Yemen unequivocally condemn the attack on civilians and extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims," Grande said.

"Under international humanitarian law, parties to the conflict are obliged to respect the principles of precaution, proportionality and distinction," she said. "Belligerents must do everything possible to protect civilians - not hurt, maim, injure or kill them."

Hodeida, with its key port installations that bring in UN and other humanitarian aid, has become the centre of Yemen's conflict, with ground troops allied to the coalition struggling to drive out the rebels controlling it.

The UN in Yemen says that since June more than 170 people have been killed and at least 1700 have been injured in Hodeida province, with more than 425,000 people forced to flee their homes.