5 May 2019

UN gains access to vital grain in Hodeidah

A United Nations team has regained access to 51.000 tonnes of wheat in the Red Sea Mills after they lost access to it in September of last year. The grain could feed more than 3.7 million people for a month, but the cereal is partially infested and must be fumigated, UN officials told Al Jazeera. For months, forces loyal to the Houthi movement, which control the port of Hodeidah, didn’t allow the UN to cross front lines to access the mills. It will likely take several weeks to grind the grain into flour and distribute it to the most in need. Even though Houthis and the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi agreed to a UN-sponsored truce and troop-withdrawal from Hodeidah in December, violence has escalated in some other parts of the country and talks aimed at securing a mutual military withdrawal from Hodeidah have stalled despite UN efforts.

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