YEMEN: Houthis deny WFP accusations of stealing aid
Houthi rebels have denied accusations by the World Food Programme (WFP) of stealing humanitarian aid in war-torn Yemen. In a statement published on Tuesday, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of the so-called “Supreme Revolutionary Committee”, said his group was “surprised” by the WFP allegations. “We were surprised by the statement of the WFP Executive Director, which […]
YEMEN: Houthis deny WFP accusations of stealing aid
Houthi rebels have denied accusations by the World Food Programme (WFP) of stealing humanitarian aid in war-torn Yemen.
In a statement published on Tuesday, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of the so-called “Supreme Revolutionary Committee”, said his group was “surprised” by the WFP allegations.
“We were surprised by the statement of the WFP Executive Director, which included threats to stop supplying food for large numbers of needy people in Yemen,” read the statement cited by the Houthi-linked al-Masirah website.
He said the WFP “didn’t communicate” with the group regarding the alleged theft of aid, adding that “exporting this to the media is considered as a major deviation in the work of the programme”.
On Monday, the WFP said it had collected evidence showing Houthi fighters diverted food shipments sent to ease the humanitarian crisis in Yemen to areas under their control.