UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a ‘disappointing’ $1.7-billion had been pledged by countries Monday for humanitarian aid in Yemen – less than half the $3.85-billion the world body was seeking for 2021 to avert a large-scale famine.

Opening the pledging conference, Guterres described childhood in Yemen as ‘a special kind of hell’ and said cutting aid was ‘ a death sentence’. Around 16 million Yemenis – more than half the population – are going hungry, a/c to the UN. Of those, five million are on the brink of famine, UN aid chief Mark Lowcock told a presser Monday.

The US is considering taking additional steps to promote accountability among the leadership of the Houthis in Yemen, and the conduct of the group’s leaders will have to change to make progress on peace, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday. Washington believes the process to find a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Yemen is gaining momentum and has been encouraged by Saudi’s cooperation, Price said.