The coronavirus pandemic might have a devastating influence on the humanitarian situation in war-torn Yemen, a spokesperson of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) told Sputnik.

Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the rebel Houthi movement for several years now.

"The humanitarian situation in Yemen could spin out of control as COVID-19 threatens a population already weakened by years of conflict," the spokesperson said.

According to the WFP, over 20 million Yemenis are food insecure, with some 10 million of them being acutely food insecure. The country's total population is estimated at around 28.5 million.

The spokesperson has added that the WFP is providing humanitarian assistance to Yemen amid the health crisis, including medical equipment, medicine, and personal protective equipment.

Meanwhile, Elisabeth Byrs, a senior spokeswoman of the WFP Geneva Office, told Sputnik that shocks to the global supply chain in Yemen, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has had a grave effect on the humanitarian response as well as the availability of food in local markets.

"prices of imported foods have already increased significantly since the start of 2020 (by over 25 percent in the case of sugar). Imports via the ports of Hodeidah and Saleef continue to decline, hit by Yemen's week economic situation and compounded by a reduction of global trade flows as a result of Covid-19. Remittances are down" she said.

In a situation like that, the WFP's work is more important than ever, and that is why the program's mission in the country requires more funds.

"WFP's operation in Yemen is facing a critical funding shortage. Millions of people rely on WFP assistance to survive. It's even more essential as Covid-19 spreads across the country. WFP needs $878 million for Yemen from June to December to continue to deliver life-saving assistance to millions in need to survive," Byrs added.

Yemen has so far confirmed 249 COVID-19 cases and 49 coronavirus-related fatalities. The United Nations, however, has voiced its concern that the actual numbers may be much higher than reported due to low testing capacity.