US: Houthis Seize 5.7M Pounds of UN Food Aid in Yemen's Saada
The Houthi militia stormed a World Food Program (WFP) warehouse in Yemen’s Saada Governorate on Saturday, confiscating 5.7 million pounds of food supplies destined for civilians, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The brazen act threatens to derail humanitarian efforts in a country where over 20 million people—two-thirds of the population—rely on aid to survive.
In a statement on X, CENTCOM condemned the seizure as an “illegal violation of international humanitarian law,” warning it would “severely disrupt” life-saving assistance to millions of Yemenis. CENTCOM accused the Houthis of prioritizing their military and political goals over civilian welfare, endangering both aid workers and vulnerable communities.
On March 15, the Houthis in Saada Governorate began seizing the World Food Program's food stock from its warehouse in Saada. This warehouse contains over 5,700,000 pounds of commodities intended for Yemeni civilians. This illegal seizure of WFP commodities will further hinder the…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 18, 2025
As first reported by Khabar Agency, local sources revealed the targeted warehouse was adjacent to a construction site hit by a U.S. airstrike earlier on March 15. The Houthis justified the raid on “security grounds” while reportedly abducting several WFP staff members, accusing them of “espionage and collaboration”—a recurring tactic critics say the group uses to intimidate UN and aid organizations.
The seizure underscores how Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, already among the world’s worst, is being compounded by political maneuvering. The WFP has long accused the Houthis of diverting aid, blocking distributions, and imposing restrictive policies to consolidate control. Currently, 17 million Yemenis face acute food insecurity, with 6.1 million nearing famine conditions, per UN data.