Yemen: The suffering of Yemeni people is intensifying day after day and the cycle of starvation is expanding, forcing the majority of poor families to eat one meal a day in light of the ongoing US-Saudi aggression and siege for the seventh year in a row.

The World Food Programme (WFP) provides spoiled food continuously and in insufficient quantities, forcing poor families to sell the food basket in exchange for a simple healthy food. Therefore, citizens demand UN and the WF to give them the price of the food basket in cash so that they can benefit from it and its value, and so that they can spare their children and families from malnutrition

Salem Mohammed Al-Faqih, one of those displaced from Hodeidah governorate to Sana’a, describes the taste of food basket provided to him by the World Food Programme as “heartbreak”.

"The aggression and siege are a torment imposed by the US-Saudi aggression on Yemeni people, for more than six years. The WFP has also given us another part of the torment present in rotten food and its bitter taste and the presence of worms and insects in it," Salem said

The citizens demanded that the WFP give them half of the amount only to benefit from it in their interests, or to stop the siege and aggression, then there would be no need for their assistance.

The WFP tried to bring large quantities of spoiled flour into Yemen, under the justification of disbursing it as aid to the Yemeni people, the latest of which was seized in the port of Hodeidah last week.

The Yemeni Organization for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control stated in a statement that it rejected this quantity after conducting the necessary tests, which revealed that flour contained insects or dead black mites inside the flour bags, which confirms that the flour is damaged and unfit for human use.

Despite the complaints, the WFP remains silent, and does not defend itself or explain the reason for bringing these spoiled quantities of flour into Yemen, and who benefits from that.

Humanitarian standards and principles

The work on the relief side is governed by certain laws and regulations that may not be infringed. There are international references and documents that have formed basic humanitarian principles for all organizations and bodies working in providing relief and humanitarian aid.

"Although there are a limited number of international organizations that work in accordance with humanitarian principles and standards and have relatively contributed to serving the victims and alleviating the suffering, the list of relief mafia is long and a lot of crimes committed in the humanitarian and relief in  Yemen" said Talaat Al-Sharjabi, the Spokesman for the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Al-Sharjabi adds that in the Council they are not only facing a problem with the corruption of some international organizations and their suspicious deals to supply expired or near-expired food or medicine, but they also face international mismanagement of relief by the UN and the use of people’s pain as means of pressure.

The organizations are politicizing humanitarian aid and trying to exploit and pressure to pass agendas and achieve advantages that they were unable to achieve by military force, in addition to using starvation and siege as a means of war with UN cover and silence.

They also play suspicious intelligence roles in favor of international powers. Espionage or intelligence work sometimes does not stop at mere information gathering, but rather goes beyond that to sow division and rivalry among Yemenis.

"There are some international organizations that do not adhere to standards and specifications with regard to purchase, production date, expiry, transportation and storage methods, according to technical, health and humanitarian requirements" Al-Sharjabi said.

He also clarified that the process and the corruption of organizations stands behind international corruption that seeks to exploit the needs of the victims and achieve harm to those targeted by them in exchange for imaginary financial gains and profits.

One of the most prominent issues that were discussed between the Secretary General of the Supreme Council and the Executive Director of the Food Program is to find a radical solution with regard to damaged materials. Therefore, David Beasley, the Executive Director of the WFP promised that he would take care of the matter and handle it, and that the procurement team in the Program would visit Yemen to review the Yemeni specifications and standards and solve these problems.

Al-Sharjabi reveals that the Council, in coordination with the concerned authorities, prevents the entry of any food, pharmaceutical and industrial materials that do not comply with the standards and conditions necessary for quality.

There is a project that is being worked on by converting food aid into cash, but unfortunately the completion rate so far is 16.5%, which is a disappointing percentage and expectations and did not meet Yemenis' aspirations.

Al-Sharjabi refers to the Program’s insistence on being satisfied with one financial provider (Al-Kuraimi Bank), which may subsequently be an obstacle to the beneficiaries’ ability to obtain their financial aid without trouble.

Translated Article from Al Masirah newspaper