Houthi obstruction has brought the distribution of aid in al-Matoun district of al-Jawf governorate north of Sanaa to a halt, local Yemeni and WFP sources said.
The Iran-backed group conditioned the distribution of relief in al-Jawf to and seized 50% of it.
WFP local workers confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that, over the last week, they had received dozens of complaints about Houthi measures aimed at splitting food baskets that are distributed by the program to the needy in Matoun.
Thousands of WFP beneficiaries said that since 2016, when al-Jawf was liberated from Houthi hold, they were receiving aid baskets unhindered.
In the last few months, however, Houthis regained control over the area and needy Yemenis in al-Matoun have been struggling to obtain their relief rations.
Actions carried out by Houthi militias prompted WFP to halt the distribution of relief to about a thousand beneficiaries last Sunday, sources reported.
In al-Jawf, Houthis have established a committee tasked with verifying and redistributing aid.
The group, through the committee, deducts and seizes half of the allocated relief to each family, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“The militias (Houthis) have a long history of looting and stealing relief aid intended for the poor and displaced, not only in Al-Jawf, but in all Yemeni areas under its control,” locals said.
More so, Houthis have expanded their scope of plundering from areas under its control to operations by international organizations.
Last week, a Yemeni government official called on the UN and international organizations to change the course of their work to curb the growing violations committed by the terrorist Houthi militia.
The General Coordinator of Yemeni High Relief Committee Jamal Balfaqih, in official statements, urged UN and international relief organizations to adopt a different approach to their work so that humanitarian relief reaches Yemen’s needy.
