First UN Aid Ship in 4 Months Docks in Yemen’s Aden
Local Editor
An international ship carrying desperately needed relief supplies docked in Aden in Yemen on Tuesday, the first UN vessel to reach the southern city in four months of persistent US-led Saudi aggression.
Saudi Arabia has imposed a near total blockade on a country heavily reliant on imports.
A Saudi-led coalition backed by the United States has been carrying out airstrikes against Yemen since March 26. The airstrikes have not been authorized by the UN.
"This is the first boat carrying the UN flag to dock in Aden since the war began" in March, governor Nayef al-Bakri told reporters at the Aden refinery port.
The ship is chartered by the World Food Program, which has tried repeatedly to deliver aid to the port city in recent weeks but failed due to security reasons.
"This will be the first WFP chartered ship to reach the port in Aden," WFP spokeswoman Reem Nada said shortly before the ship entered the harbor.
Vessels sent by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Arab Emirates [UAE] managed to reach Aden previously.
A humanitarian ceasefire declared by the United Nations [UN] earlier this month in July failed to take hold.
More than 21.1 million people -- over 80 percent of Yemen’s population -- need aid, with 13 million facing food shortages.
The UN has warned that Yemen was just "one step away from famine."
