Yemeni minister accuses Houthis of holding aid trucks

Yemen’s Minister of Local Administration, Abdul Raqib Fateh, accused the Houthi rebels on Tuesday of holding ten truckloads of humanitarian aid destined for the south-western province of Taiz. According to state-owned Saba news agency, Fateh condemned the detention of the trucks and called on the humanitarian coordinator in Yemen and the World Food Programme to intervene quickly and put pressure on the Houthis and their allies to release them.

“The continued detention of relief aid by the coup militia impedes the rapid humanitarian access to those in need,” said the minister, who is also head of the government’s Higher Relief Committee. He holds the Houthis responsible for the deterioration of the humanitarian situation and expressed “deep regret for the UN’s silence on the continuation of such violations.” He pointed out that the Houthis and their allies are in breach of international law with their actions.

Fateh reiterated his call for the UN and its affiliate bodies to search for alternative routes for the delivery of humanitarian aid. He even suggested that they use the Aden-Taiz road to deliver aid to avoid kidnappings, looting and detention by the rebels.

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