A Houthi official in Yemen called this week for the resumption of food aid distribution in the war-torn country to ward off “dangerous stages of famine,” as Yemen experiences one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The request came during a meeting in Sanaa on Wednesday between Markus Werne, director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yemen, and Ibrahim al-Hamli, head of the Houthi-affiliated Supreme Council for Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation.

“The suspension of food aid has exacerbated humanitarian suffering, leading to an increase in food insecurity and cases of malnutrition among the displaced people, especially children,” Hamli warned, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.