Houthi rebels cut off vital humanitarian corridor

Iran- backed Houthi rebels breached a deal brokered on Saturday by the office of the special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, a spokesman for Al Dhalea military axis said.

The agreemeent was intended to reopen a humanitarian corridor linking the provinces of Aden and Al Dhalea in southern Yemen and stretching to Sanaa and Ibb, in Houthi-held territory in the country’s north.

Capt Fuad Jubari said the Houthis had not only blocked the road but had sought to make it unusable.

“The rebels went far beyond violating the agreement. They went to plant new landmines along the road, deployed new checkpoints and spread snipers along it,” he said. The government accused Houthi rebels of thwarting the deal and called on the international community to hold them accountable for the harsh conditions in areas affected by the blockade, which was supposed to end on Sunday.

“Lifting the blockade along this major road matters to millions of people caught by war. Merchants and relief convoys from the northern provinces use this road to get access to Aden’s harbours,” Mohammed Al Waqidi, office manager of the Yemen Ministry of Human Rights in Al Dhalea, said.

Residents living near the blocked road expressed their sadness that the Houthis had resumed hostilities in the area.

“Cutting the main road isolated our area and caused tremendous suffering for us. We have been caught by war along the front lines for two years. We don’t have access to the public markets in Al Dhalea where we usually go to sell our potatoes and tomatoes,” Ahmed Al Shawki, a farmer in Al Aoud, between the affected provinces, said.

The blockade caused fruit and vegetable prices to surge this year. One kilo of tomatoes in Aden now costs 1,500 Yemeni rials, or about $6.

The deal to reopen the main road that links the northern and southern provinces was to come into force on Sunday