On Thursday, the U.S. called on the international community, especially regional countries, to fulfill their pledges to increase funding for humanitarian assistance to Yemen and warned that aid programs could otherwise be forced to close.

U.S. Special Envoy to Yemen Timothy Lenderking told a webinar sponsored by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations that humanitarian programs for Yemen will begin to close unless contributions increase in the next few months.

Six years of war have killed tens of thousands of Yemenis, mostly civilians, and left millions on the brink of famine. Around 80 percent of Yemen’s population, or 24 million people, rely on humanitarian relief to survive.

In April 2020, the World Food Program halved food aid to deliveries every other month in parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthi movement after donors cut funding, partly over concerns about obstruction of aid.

More funds have started flowing since U.N. officials said in April that Yemen could suffer the world’s worst famine in decades as violence escalated amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sarah Charles, a senior official with the U.S. Agency for International Development, echoed Lenderking’s warning.

“We commend the generous pledges made by other generous donors so far this year,” she said, noting that the U.S. will provide more funds on top of $350 million allocated this year. “The fact is that more funding is required to address growing needs.”