Half the population of Yemen could soon face famine. That’s according to United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock. He says the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe is “much bigger than anything any professional in this field has seen during their working lives.” The number of Yemenis facing famine has been updated to 14 million based on recent analysis.

Mark Lowcock: “Beyond the sheer numbers, while millions of people have been surviving on emergency food assistance for years, the help they get is enough merely to survive, not to thrive. The toll is unbearably high. The immune system of millions of people on survival support for years on end are now literally collapsing, making them, especially children and the elderly, more likely to succumb to malnutrition, cholera and other diseases.”