Barran Press
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, the resumption of limited aid distribution in areas controlled by the Houthi group, which is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries. This comes after a six-month suspension due to a dispute with the group over beneficiary lists.
The WFP reported that it conducted a one-time food distribution in eight districts in Hajjah and Hodeidah governorates in May. The distribution aimed to assess the impact of the suspension, with interviews conducted with a sample of 219 households before and after receiving food assistance.
According to the report, seen by Barran Press, data revealed a decline in the proportion of households receiving assistance who experienced severe food deprivation (malnutrition) from 41 percent in February to 22 percent immediately after the one-time food distribution.
Conversely, the WFP noted an increase in malnutrition in the remaining unsupported districts in Hajjah and Hodeidah, with 49 percent of households reporting severe food deprivation during the same period.
Furthermore, the report stated that "the prevalence of severe hunger levels in districts receiving assistance decreased from 12 percent to 4 percent, and reliance on severe food-based coping strategies decreased from 62 percent to 58 percent."
In mid-March, the Director of Operations and Advocacy at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Edem Wosornu, mentioned an agreement reached between the WFP and the Houthi group to resume aid distribution in Houthi-controlled areas.
Wosornu stated that following the suspension of food aid in Houthi-controlled areas, the WFP continued discussions with the de facto Houthi authorities regarding prioritization for assistance.
She added, "After the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated $7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to the WFP, an agreement was reached to begin a pilot process for retargeting in Houthi-controlled areas."
In early December 2023, the WFP announced the suspension of its general food aid program in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The WFP attributed the suspension to "the failure to reach an agreement with the authorities in Sana'a to implement a smaller program that would be commensurate with the available resources for the most vulnerable households due to limited funding."
The WFP described the decision as "difficult" and stated that it was made in consultation with donors. It followed "nearly a year of negotiations, during which no agreement was reached to reduce the number of beneficiaries of the program's assistance."
The WFP sought to reduce the number of beneficiaries of direct food aid in Houthi-controlled areas from 9.5 million to 6.5 million, according to the statement. However, the Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization, rejected this proposal, leading to the complete suspension of aid.