Why did the WFP reduce its aid to Yemen?

Informed intelligence sources revealed facts about the extent of corruption practiced by the Houthi group against the aid donated to the Yemeni people. The Houthi group has established a number of companies with the purpose of contracting with international organizations, one of which is the Hadi Group, and another company called Al-Mohsin Brothers.

These two companies, affiliated with the Hadi Group, "one of the economic arms of the Houthi group through which the group earns hundreds of millions of dollars from relief aid," received a total of $158,570,305 million, from their contracts with international organizations.

The board of directors of the group is chaired by Ali Al-Hadi, who is close to the leadership of the Houthi group and has joint business interests with them.

The sources said that in 2017, the Hadi Group rented the Red Sea Mills in Hodeidah and recently established a new factory, mills, and silos. Later, Al-Mohsin Brothers Mills, affiliated with the Hadi Group, contracted with the World Food Program to grind a large portion of loose wheat aid belonging to the WFP and package it in bags bearing the logo of the World Food Program, and distribute it through the Hadi Transportation Company along with other relief materials.

However, according to the sources, the WFP discovered that a large portion of its wheat was being packaged in bags bearing the Mohsin Brothers' brand and sold in markets as a commercial product, with the proceeds being shared between the group and the Hadi trader, in addition to other in-kind aid distributed by the Hadi Transportation Company.

After the program learned of this fraud, it sent a number of messages to the Houthi group and held several meetings with its leaders, with the presence of the Humanitarian Affairs Coordination and the Higher Council for Humanitarian Affairs affiliated with the group, but these meetings did not result in any progress, and the two sides reached a deadlock.

In June 2019, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, and the World Food Program accused the Houthi group of diverting aid and using it for its narrow interests.

After that, the World Food Program announced in June 2019 the suspension of its assistance to Yemen and its readiness to resume the distribution of food items once an agreement is reached on the independent identification of beneficiaries and the implementation of the biometric registration system, and the share of Al-Mohsin Brothers from the wheat was referred to Fahem and Bayt Hayil Mills.

However, in response to the program's measures, the Higher Council for Humanitarian Affairs affiliated with the Houthi group seized 128 tons of wheat in Hajjah and 120 tons of flour bags belonging to the World Food Program, which were released in March 2020.