Japan yesterday announced the provision of $20.5 million in food aid for Yemen. In an official statement, the Japanese embassy in Yemen said that the funds were aimed at "providing food and nutrition to the Yemeni people," adding that it was expecting to secure food for "2,285,000 people." "The fund will be disbursed from the government's [Japan] supplementary budget for the financial year 2020 through the World Food Programme (WFP)," the embassy pointed out. The statement stressed that Japan would continue "to support Yemenis and alleviate their suffering by providing assistance in various fields." Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Iran-backed Houthis ousted the internationally-recognised government in the capital city of Sanaa in late 2014. The conflict escalated when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 to push back Houthi gains. The United Nations has said the conflict had led to the world's worst humanitarian crisis with millions on the brink of famine.