Yemen Monitor/Sana’a/Exclusive:
The World Food Program (WFP) has announced the limited resumption of aid distribution in Houthi-controlled areas, after a six-month pause.
The WFP had announced the suspension of aid distribution at the end of last year due to disagreements with the group over beneficiary lists, with accusations against the Houthis of distributing aid to their fighters.
This comes after a kidnapping campaign carried out by the Houthi group against aid workers, including dozens from the World Food Program and other UN-affiliated organizations.
The program said it conducted a one-off food distribution in eight districts in Hajjah and Hodeidah last May to assess the impact of this distribution, conducting interviews with a sample of 219 households during the suspension period and after receiving food assistance.
The data showed a decrease in the proportion of households receiving assistance that are severely food deprived (food insecurity) from 41% in February to 22% immediately after the one-off food distribution, according to Al-sharq Al-awsat newspaper.
Conversely, the program’s latest report states that food insecurity has increased in the remaining unsupported districts in Hajjah and Hodeidah governorates, with 49% of households reporting severe food deprivation during the same period.
