A LONG the road from the port city of Ho-deida to Sana'a, Yemen's capital, rugged mountains rise sharply from a coastal plain, then level off, giving way to a raised plateau. Old stone farmhouses overlook terraced fields, fed by mountain rains. To the south are lush forests, where baboons and wildcats live. Yemen's vast deserts spread to the east. The diversity of the landscape is breathtaking. But amid all this natural beauty, there is misery. Yemen was the poorest country in the Middle East even before the outbreak of war in 2014 between Houthi rebels and government forces. The conflict has heaped devastation upon poverty. Since fighting began Yemen has suffered the biggest cholera outbreak in modern history and is on the brink of the harshest famine the world has seen for decades. The conflict has shattered the water, education and health systems. The UN says that it is the world's worst current humanitarian crisis. Three-quarters of the population of 28m need help.
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