United Nations, Apr 2 (IANS): Half of Yemen's population will face crisis levels of food insecurity by June, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

With the Yemeni rial depreciating, food and fuel prices doubling, even tripling in some cases since the civil war began in September 2014, 16.2 million people would hit the crisis point by June, Xinhua news agency quoted the OCHA as saying on Thursday.

About 50,000 Yemenis already face famine-like conditions as Covid-19 cases rapidly rise, it said.

The UN and humanitarian partners provide food assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition and other aid to 9 million Yemenis a month.

However, the operation needs immediate support to fill a critical funding gap, OCHA said.

The 2021 humanitarian response plan only has 12 per cent, or $442.3 million, of the $3.85 billion needed.

The UN wants donors to release their pledged funds immediately and to increase their funding.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

Due to the ongoing war, the country currently faces the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with more than 24 million people, some 80 per cent of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 12 million children.