SANAA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Despite the efforts of the United Nations and its partners, the problem of food insecurity in Yemen remains a severe threat, warned a UN official on Thursday.

David Gressly, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said that 17 million people in Yemen are still grappling with food insecurity, as revealed by a recent report from the UN food agency, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Children's Fund.

The report further disclosed a worrisome trend, projecting an increase in the number of people likely to experience severe levels of acute food insecurity from 3.2 million in the first five months of 2023 to 3.9 million in the latter half of the year.

Among these figures, approximately 2.8 million people are expected to face crisis-level hunger.

WFP Representative in Yemen Richard Ragan stressed in the report that urgent and sustained support is required to prevent a humanitarian crisis and famine in Yemen.

He pointed to the fragile nature of Yemen's food security situation, warning that without continued assistance, the hard-earned progress made over the past few years would be in jeopardy.

"There are women, men, and children ..., whose lives straddle the fine line between hope and utter devastation," said Ragan, urging donors to reconfirm their commitment to assisting the most vulnerable Yemeni population.

Yemen has been engulfed in a deadly military conflict since late 2014, when the Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces, displacing the internationally-recognized government from the capital city of Sanaa.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in a staggering number of casualties and has plunged Yemen into humanitarian crises, including widespread famine.