RIYADH (Reuters) – The World Food Program (WFP) said on Tuesday it has halted general food distribution in northern Yemen due to limited funding and disagreements with local authorities over how to focus attention on the poorest there.
Sanaa and the northern Yemeni regions are under the control of the Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has been at war since 2014 with a Saudi-backed government based in the southern port city of Aden.
Fighting has subsided in the past two years, easing what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. However, millions of people still depend on direct humanitarian aid.
The WFP said the decision was taken in consultation with donors and came after a year of negotiations and failure to reach an agreement to reduce the number of people served from 9.5 million to 6.5 million.
Food supplies in areas under the Houthi government are almost depleted and resuming food aid could take up to four months due to supply chain disruptions, the UN agency said in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from Houthi officials.
The WFP had already been cutting rations in Yemen since 2022 due to critical funding shortages and global inflation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The agency said it would continue other programs, including nutrition and school food programs, to limit the impact of the decision.
General food distribution would continue with a focus on those most in need in areas controlled by the Saudi-backed government, the report said.
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