UN threatens to suspend aid to Yemen's Houthi-controlled areas over alleged theft, fraud

The UN food agency is threatening to suspend aid to areas under the control of Yemen's Houthis if the rebel group does not take measures against theft and fraud in food distribution.

The World Food Program said on Monday that its "greatest challenge" in Yemen came from "the obstructive and uncooperative role of some of the Houthi leaders in areas under their control."

It says humanitarian workers are being denied access to the hungry, aid convoys have been blocked, and local authorities have interfered with food distribution.

It added that some rebel leaders have repeatedly obstructed the agency's ability to choose how to distribute the food aid.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have been at war with a Saudi-led coalition, which backs the internationally recognised government, since 2015.

The Yemen war has cost tens of thousands of lives since it broke out in 2014 and escalated with the Saudi-led coalition intervention in 2015.

The conflict has led to what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 3.3 million people still displaced and 24.1 million - more than two-thirds of the population - in need of aid.

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