Aid groups appeal for $716 million to battle humanitarian crisis in Yemen

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – U.N. agencies and other aid organizations are appealing for $716 million in donations to help Yemen deal with a deepening humanitarian crisis that includes widespread malnutrition in the Arabian peninsula's poorest country.

The funds would provide necessities such as food, clean water and medical supplies for Yemen, which is wracked by militant attacks and instability after the end of the three-decade rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh last year.

The consolidated appeal Tuesday by aid groups meeting in Dubai follows a World Food Program report in September that said that nearly half of the 24 million Yemenis go to bed hungry every night.

The latest effort to raise funds for Yemen is on top of billions in aid already pledged to help the country upgrade its infrastructure and economy.