Selective silence?

The Saudi ambassador to Yemen has accused some UN organisations of silence regarding crimes and violations by Houthi militias, including stealing and hindering the distribution of humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people. Many officials in the Arab coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government had previously informed senior UN officials about Houthi violations regarding aid, Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber told the Associated Press.

Houthi militias have for years been looting aid and hindering its distribution, he was quoted by Arab News. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have contributed $1.25 billion to the UN’s humanitarian response plan in Yemen. “We’ve told UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock and the humanitarian coordinator of the UN in Yemen, Lise Grande, that only 40 per cent of those funds have been spent in areas under the control of the Houthi militias because of their irresponsible practices,” Al Jaber said.

Silence over Houthi crimes will only encourage them, he added, urging UN organisations to speak out. Also on Saturday, Houthi fighters seized 72 World Food Programme (WFP) relief tracks headed to the province of Ibb, minister of local administration and chairman of the Higher Committee for Relief in Yemen said. The theft of food aid in Yemen by Houthi rebels might be only the tip of the iceberg, officials believe, as questions multiply over international relief efforts in the famine-ravaged country.

It has emerged that aid officials have been aware for months that armed groups – most prominently Houthi rebels in the capital, Sana’a – have been diverting food aid into the key areas they control, including by manipulating data in malnutrition surveys used by the UN. Officials concede that difficulties with access to many areas in Yemen under Houthi control, and aid agencies’ reliance on Houthi officials to collect much of the hunger data, have left them vulnerable to falsification.