Actress Angelina Jolie arrived in Yemen on Sunday to meet people who have been displaced by a seven-year conflict that has led to one of the world's deepest humanitarian crises.
Jolie, a celebrity envoy for the UN's refugee agency since 2012, will meet Yemeni families, including those whose lives have been turned upside down by fighting between rebel, pro-government and foreign forces.
“She is hoping her visit will help draw attention to the catastrophic consequences of over seven years of conflict,” the UN refugee agency posted on social media.
“Will meet Yemeni displaced families & refugees to understand how the conflict has ripped their lives apart.”
Her visit comes before the annual pledging meeting for Yemen on March 16. UN aid chiefs worry that donor fatigue will impact the event, as governments shift allocations to Ukraine, Afghanistan and other crises.
Yemen has been mired in chaos since Iran-backed Houthi rebels ousted the internationally recognised government from the capital Sanaa in early 2015, saying they were fighting corruption.
A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition intervened the following year to restore the ousted government.
The war has claimed more than 370,000 lives, directly and indirectly, the UN says, and caused widespread suffering, with four fifths of Yemen’s 30 million people needing handouts.
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