UN says Yemen’s Houthi rebels are blocking aid delivery programmes in the war-torn country
Workers handle sacks of wheat flour at a World Food Programme food aid distribution center in Sanaa, Yemen February 11, 2020.
The UN has largely kept quiet in public about the pressure, but behind the scenes the agency and international donors are digging in against the Houthi demands. For months, the Houthis demanded a 2% cut from the entire aid budget be given to them, a condition the UN and donors rejected. In an email to the AP, a spokesperson for the US Agency for International Development said Houthi attempts “to implement a tax on humanitarian assistance are unacceptable and directly contradict international humanitarian principles.” Last week, the Houthis appeared to back off the 2% demand, but continue to press for other concessions, according to aid officials.
The Houthi have withheld visas and permissions for equipment and supplies and refused to grant clearances for UN missions to move through rebel-controlled areas. Aid workers said agency leaders’ past willingness to concede to some of the rebels demands have embolden the Houthi leaders to push for more.
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