Houthi militants storm WFP warehouse in Hodeidah: Minister

CAIRO – 17 August 2018: Yemeni Minister of Local Administration Abdel-Raqeeb Fateh has accused Houthi militants of storming a World Food Program (WFP) warehouse in Hodeidah, AP reported.

The WFP humanitarian aid warehouse has reportedly been turned into a military barracks for the Houthi militants in Al-Durayhimi district in Hodeidah, Yemen’s largest port.

Hodeidah has become a fighting scene between pro-government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis.

“Thousands of families were caught in the district's crossfire between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition forces fighting them,” Fateh said.

The Arab coalition is supporting the government troops in the battle to recapture Hodeidah for the grip of Houthis who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Earlier this month, the coalition accused the Houthis of carrying out a mortar attack on a hospital and fish market in Yemen, killing at least 55 people.

The UN on Friday said it had invited the Yemeni government and the Houthis for peace talks in Geneva on Sep. 6.