Yemen Government Slams Houthis for Seizing Hodeidah Port Revenues

View of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen June 24, 2018. (Reuters)
View of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen June 24, 2018. (Reuters)
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Yemen Government Slams Houthis for Seizing Hodeidah Port Revenues

View of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen June 24, 2018. (Reuters)
View of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen June 24, 2018. (Reuters)

The Houthi militias came through on their threat to plunder frozen assets and port revenues from a special account intended to pay the salaries of public servants at the Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) branch in the coastal Hodeidah province.

Away from its agreement with the UN and the legitimate Yemeni government to dispense these assets to pay the salaries of public servants, the Iran-backed militias have funneled what they plundered into their war effort.

In an official statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, the Yemeni government denounced the Houthi violations and accused them of looting the revenues from the import duties of oil derivatives from the special account at the CBY in Hodeidah, which amounts to more than 35 billion Yemeni rials (about $60 million) allocated to pay the salaries of civil servants.

The Foreign Ministry called it a “flagrant violation” of a UN-brokered arrangement to pay civil servant salaries using fees from oil imports at the port of Hodeidah.

It held the Houthis "responsible for thwarting understandings and the subsequent consequences."

It also called on the UN to assume its responsibility as the observer and guarantor to obligate Houthis to submit data on the current status of the special account.

In mid-April, the Houthis announced their intention to withdraw funds from the special account, claiming they would use them to pay each civil servant a quarter of their monthly wages. The Houthis at the time accused the government of reneging on prior agreements to pay the civil servants.

On May 14, UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, briefed the UN Security Council in New York about his concerns on the use of the special account.

“My Office has repeatedly requested documentation from Ansar Allah (Houthis) that is needed to verify the special account activity. Indeed, I have written to the leadership to personally reiterate this request,” Griffiths said.



Gaza Hunger Crisis Could Return If Israeli Aid Restrictions Continue, Head of UN Relief Agency Says

UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini adjusts his glasses during a press conference on the situation in the Palestinian Gaza strip, at the United Nations offices in Geneva on March 10, 2025. (AFP)
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini adjusts his glasses during a press conference on the situation in the Palestinian Gaza strip, at the United Nations offices in Geneva on March 10, 2025. (AFP)
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Gaza Hunger Crisis Could Return If Israeli Aid Restrictions Continue, Head of UN Relief Agency Says

UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini adjusts his glasses during a press conference on the situation in the Palestinian Gaza strip, at the United Nations offices in Geneva on March 10, 2025. (AFP)
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini adjusts his glasses during a press conference on the situation in the Palestinian Gaza strip, at the United Nations offices in Geneva on March 10, 2025. (AFP)

There is a risk that Gaza experiences another hunger crisis if Israel continues to block aid, the head of the UN Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA) in Gaza said on Monday, warning the situation is quickly deteriorating.

Israel cut aid flows of food, medicine and fuel imports earlier this month, a move it said was designed to pressure Hamas in ceasefire talks. On Sunday, it announced an electricity cut, which aid groups say would deprive Gazans of clean water.

"I think the more we go ahead (with aid blockages), the more we will see the impact increasing on the population. And obviously, the risk ... is that we go back to situation we experienced months ago about deepening hunger in the Gaza Strip," said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

"Whatever the intent is, it's clearly a weaponization of humanitarian aid into Gaza," he told reporters. "We have seen the situation is deteriorating very, very quickly."

In the same press briefing in Geneva, he described the agency's financial situation as "critical and precarious".

Israel, which has long alleged that UNRWA has ties to Hamas, barred the agency from its territory in January.

Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva said earlier on Monday that it is actively encouraging UN agencies and others to take over UNRWA's work in Gaza.

Lazzarini said the agency was subject to a disinformation campaign and that it has not seen any other groups replacing it in Gaza so far.