UN humanitarian chief calls Yemen conditions 'catastrophic'

The U.N. humanitarian chief warned Tuesday that conditions in Yemen are "catastrophic" after three years of war, with a record 22.2 million people needing aid and protection, and the U.N. envoy for the country accused the Saudi-backed government and Shiite rebels of prolonging the conflict.

The officials painted a dire picture of the Arab world's most impoverished country plunging into the world's worst humanitarian crisis and facing massive destruction as a result of what special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed called the parties' continuing "destructive pattern of zero-sum politics."

"Decision-makers in this conflict perceive concessions as weakness and dissent as a threat," the envoy said. "Regrettably, they have consistently taken irresponsible and provocative actions, disregarding the daily sufferings generated by this conflict."

Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock warned the Security Council that conflict in Yemen has escalated since November, leaving more people hungry.

"Famine remains a real threat," he warned.

In a speech read by U.N. director of humanitarian operations John Ging, Lowcock said that 8.4 million Yemenis "are severely food insecure" and about 400,000 children under the age of 5 "are so severely malnourished they are 10 times likelier to die without treatment than their healthy peers."

Cheikh Ahmed said the two sides had been on the verge of a peace agreement during negotiations in 2016, but the parties refused to sign at the last minute. He told the council it became clear that the Houthi rebels weren't prepared to make concessions on security arrangements.

"This has been a major stumbling block towards reaching a negotiated solution," he said.