UN food agency & Yemeni rebels reach deal to restore aid

The UN food agency said on Sunday it reached an agreement with the Houthi rebels to resume food deliveries to rebel-controlled parts of Yemen after suspending aid for over a month.

The partial suspension of aid to the capital, Sanaa, began in June amid accusations that the Houthi rebels were diverting food from the hungriest people in the war-torn country.

The suspension affects 850,000 people in Sanaa, where the World Food Program says the bulk of the looting takes place. The Houthis, who have controlled the capital since 2014, denied the charges and accused the WFP of sending spoiled food, AP said. The agency said some of the food that was held for long periods of time in rebel-controlled areas had indeed gone bad.

The agreement to resume food deliveries is “an important step towards safeguards that guarantee the accountability of our humanitarian operation in Yemen,” WFP spokesperson Herve Verhoosel to AP.