Suspension of WFP aid was caused by US threats: Sanaa

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
10 Dec 2023 21:18

According to the Higher Council for Humanitarian Affairs, the decision to suspend aid to Sanaa is politically motivated.

Protesters rally for Palestine. Sanaa, Yemen, July 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

The Higher Council for Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen has confirmed that the suspension of the World Food Programme's food aid program in areas under the authority of Sanaa was a "punishment on Yemenis supporting the Palestinian cause."

In a statement issued by the Council, it emphasized that the decision of the UN program to "temporarily halt" food aid comes "as a result of previous US threats to cut humanitarian aid if the Yemeni stance in support of the Palestinian people persists."

The statement pointed out that the decision to halt food aid in Sanaa and the liberated areas while continuing its distribution in the occupied territories, "violates humanitarian work principles, most notably neutrality, impartiality, and non-discrimination."

The Higher Council for Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen also noted that Sanaa "made significant efforts with the World Food Programme and proposed several solutions to ensure the continued distribution of humanitarian aid to those most in need." However, these efforts were met with rejection.

The Council also held the World Food Programme accountable for the dangerous humanitarian consequences on the lives of millions of recipients of aid as a result of this unconsidered and unfair decision against the Yemeni people.

Yemen barred from WFP aid over Palestine support

Earlier this month, sources confirmed to Al Mayadeen that the funding that the WFP received until September 2023 amounted to $1.16 billion, surpassing the previous year by $60 million, which indicates that the decision to suspend aid to Sanaa is politically motivated.

The sources highlighted that WFP ceased humanitarian aid designated for the Yemeni people in areas governed by Sanaa, while aid continued to reach regions under the control of "mercenaries". This confirms the political nature of the decision, linked to Sanaa's supportive stance toward Palestine, according to the sources.

The sources emphasized that halting aid exposes a US political stance against Yemeni operations targeting Israeli sites in occupied Palestinian territories, pointing out that this American position heightened following the capture of the Israeli ship in the Red Sea by the Yemeni Armed Forces.

Furthermore, the sources highlighted that the decision to halt aid to Sanaa comes despite tonnes of food stored in the WFP's warehouses, which, along with other materials, risk expiration and spoilage.