FILE PHOTO
Wed 18 March 2020:
The United Nations fears that about 30 relief programs will be cut in Yemen starting April due to lack of funding, meanwhile, Houthi militias continue with their violations, acknowledging on Sunday that they burned down 160 tons of wheat from the World Food Program (WFP) in Taiz Governorate.
Houthis claimed that the burning operation was handled by its members who control the Industry and Trade Office in Taiz Governorate, however, WFP did not immediately comment on the incident.
Yemeni workers in relief programs say that the Houthi militias usually take control over large food quantities for long periods of time and prevent their distribution, leaving them to perish.
The US recently announced it will be suspending its humanitarian aid in Houthi-run areas, as of the end of March over obstacles it faced on humanitarian access and the insurgent group’s corruption.
Recently, Yemeni Minister of Local Administration Abdul Raqib Fatah accused the Iranian-backed Houthi militia of looting nearly 900 relief convoys, which were on their way to relief citizens in different regions.
Sanaa, over the last two weeks, witnessed intensive meetings between representatives of international and humanitarian organizations and Houthi leaders in the hope that the Iran-backed group would ease the restrictions imposed on aid work.
Houthis had called on aid groups to commit to the plans and programs proposed by the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SCMCHA), which is a Houthi organization that was formed in November to oversee aid delivery.
Houthi officials also sought to impose new mechanisms for the operation of the relief agencies that would allow the militias to impose complete control over their work.
The Houthis are seeking to force the agencies to obtain permits in advance to carry out relief projects in areas under their control. The Houthis would also oversee the implementation of the projects.
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