World

Yemen war: Grain stores in Hudaydah 'at risk of rotting'

February 12, 2019 5:19 am

The UN is urging the warring parties in Yemen to give it access to a vast store of grain that is desperately needed in a country on the brink of famine.

Aid workers have not been able to reach the Red Sea Mills, on the frontlines in the port of Hudaydah, for five months.

It holds enough grain to feed 3.7 million people for a month, but the UN says it is now “at risk of rotting”.

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The Yemeni government and the rebel Houthi movement agreed a ceasefire around Hudaydah in December.

But they have yet to implement a UN-brokered plan under which opposing fighters should be redeployed to locations outside the area.

Hudaydah, which has been controlled by the Houthis since 2014, is the principal lifeline for two-thirds of Yemen’s population. Up to 80% of the humanitarian aid, fuel and commercial goods on which they depend are delivered through the port.