The World Food Program said Tuesday that one of its warehouses in Yemen's Houthi-held area had been looted.
The UN food agency described the culprits simply as “militias” and said 127.5 tons of aid were stolen in the northern province of Hajja. A senior aid worker also said Houthi militiamen were behind the looting.
The worker spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, the Associated Press reported. Millions of Yemenis live just a step away from famine and rely on food aid.
The WFP began a partial suspension of food aid to areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels last June, amid accusations they were diverting aid from the war-torn country’s hungriest people.
The Houthis denied the accusation and aid deliveries resumed in August.
The WFP provides food assistance to 12 million people every month.
The agency spoke out repeatedly last year about aid diversion at the hands of Houthis and accused them of impeding its operations.
