World Food Programme to reduce aid in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen

The World Food Programme is likely to decrease its aid to parts of Yemen’s Houthi-controlled areas due to funding crisis.

According to the UN, some donors have stopped donating over concerns that Houthi forces are obstructing them.

The international news says that families will receive aid every other month from mid-April.

Note that the World Food Programme (WFP) is a UN agency that provides aid to more than 12 million Yemenis a month. Around 80% of the people, who receive the aid, live in areas controlled by Houthi forces.

The UN’s senior representative in Yemen Lise Grande reported to the international news agency that the unavailability of funds would affect each aspect of UN’s assistance in the world’s biggest humanitarian air operation as a danger of coronavirus appears.

She informed, “It couldn’t come at a worse time with COVID-19 threatening.”

There are no cases of coronavirus in Yemen so far, but Yemen could be overawed in case of a pandemic.

Some donors such as the US have reduced their aids. They claimed that Houthi control is creating an obstruction.

Some donors also claimed that there are delays in permits, staff members have been harassed.

Sultana Begum of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Yemen said, “It’s not the right time for the world to be cutting aid to vulnerable people,” “There are issues with the Houthis, but the world has to scale up its response to deal with the virus.”

A spokesperson for the UK’s Department for International Development said it is “extremely concerned that Houthi restrictions and interference in the delivery of humanitarian assistance is now forcing donors and UN agencies to scale back their assistance in northern Yemen.”