New York  - UN humanitarian chief John Holmes was to arrive in Yemen on Thursday to draw international attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in that country, the UN said Wednesday.

Holmes will visit Yemen until Sunday as part of a programme to build support for the population affected by recent fighting, the UN said. Holmes is the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"He hopes to highlight the potential impact of continued neglect by the international community to humanitarian needs in Yemen," the UN said.

The country has been wracked by fighting in the northwest where the government launched a military offensive against Shiite rebels, which displaced thousands of people. In the south, thousands of people demonstrated on Wednesday calling for support for their demands for secession from the rest of the country.  dpa