Most obstruction of Yemen aid delivery found in Houthi-held areas, UN finds

SMA NEWS – TAIZ
Most of the blockage of humanitarian aid in Yemen in the past three months has been recorded in Houthi-controlled areas of the country, the United Nations said.

The rebels, who took over the capital Sanaa in 2014 and forced the internationally recognised government to flee, are accused of committing war crimes against the Yemeni people throughout the ensuing civil war.

A report by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) this week said about 90 per cent of cases where aid workers faced restrictions on access were in Houthi-controlled areas during the second quarter of this year.

A major restriction pertaining to “movement inside and outside Yemen was imposed by the Houthi authority and affected the movement of all Yemeni national aid workers”, it said.

Limitations imposed on humanitarian workers and their movement remains a challenge to the UN, the report said.

These include violence against aid workers, travel permits being denied and delays or cancellations of missions and field travel activities.