Yemen Denounces Continuous Houthi Obstruction of Humanitarian Aid Delivery
Arab World
Aden - Asharq Al-Awsat
The Yemeni government has condemned the Houthi militias’ ongoing violations against humanitarian aid, calling on the international community and the Security Council as well as the World Food Program (WFP) to address the group’s actions. In a terse statement, Yemeni Minister of Local Administration Abdul Raqib Fatah said Houthis recently burnt 160 tons of wheat in Taiz provided by the WFP, which did not comment on the incident. This is a blatant violation to be added to the list of crimes and breaches committed by the group, Fatah said, adding that Houthis haven't only imposed a blockade on Taiz for four years but also burnt humanitarian aid allocated for the residents. The minister urged Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen Lise Grande to address the Houthi crimes ahead of the international community and the Security Council to pressure them to halt these acts. He also called on the WFP to inform the international and local public about the militia's crimes and hold them responsible for their deeds. Fatah reiterated that the government will continue to provide support for donors and international organizations to implement humanitarian projects and programs in the country. Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of Coordination Division at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has warned that there are 30 programs threatened in Yemen. "Income projections now show that more than 30 major programs will reduce or start to close down by the end of April without additional funding," Rajasingham told the Security Council in a briefing. Notably, this month saw intensive meetings between humanitarian and UN organizations representatives with Houthi leaders in hope that the group would ease restrictions imposed on the organizations’ activities. However, Houthis insist on hindering the organizations' delivery of aid, revealed reliable sources to Asharq Al-Awsat. Earlier, the Yemeni government accused the Iran-pro group of looting almost 900 aid cargoes. Government sources and UN reports also accused Houthis of imposing a 2 percent commission of projects on aid agencies and organizations in regions seized by them, regardless of the repercussions on millions of starving residents.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2191596/yemen-denounces-continuous-houthi-obstruction-humanitarian-aid-delivery
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