U.S. pledges $585 million in new aid for Yemen in 2022 -Blinken

DUBAI (Reuters) -The United States on Wednesday pledged almost $585 million in new humanitarian aid for Yemen for 2022 as part of a United Nations-led drive to increase assistance to millions of Yemenis suffering dire shortages due to the 8-year-old conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the new U.S. assistance in a video appearance before a conference in which the U.N. is seeking nearly $4.3 billion in additional aid for the war-torn country.

The conflict pits the internationally recognized Yemeni government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

The European Union pledged $407.4 million, while the United Kingdom pledged 88 million pounds.

Blinken noted that humanitarian funding began drying up earlier this year – before attention was diverted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – forcing the closure or reduction of two-thirds of U.N. programs and cuts in food rations for 8 million Yemenis.

“The Russian government’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine threatens a significant source of Yemen’s imported wheat. Just in the first week alone, many Yemenis saw the bread price shoot up 50 percent,” he said.

“To help meet the urgent needs today the United States is announcing before announcing the new U.S. contribution of $585 million, nearly $585 million in new humanitarian aid to Yemen,” he said.

This takes the total U.S. contribution to Yemen since the start of the conflict to $4.5 billion, Blinken said.

(Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Toby Chopra and David Gregorio)