First UN food aid ship in 4 months reaches southern port in war-torn Yemen

Yemen: A ship carrying desperately needed relief supplies docked in Aden on Tuesday, the first UN vessel to reach the southern Yemeni city in four months of fighting, its governor said. [caption id=“attachment_2354586” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “] Yemeni special forces, loyal to Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, stand guard in Aden’s Tawahi neighbourhood on Monday.[/caption] “This is the first boat carrying the UN flag to dock in Aden since the war began” in late March, governor Nayef al-Bakri told reporters at the Aden refinery port. The ship is chartered by the World Food Programme, 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 told AFP shortly before the ship entered the harbour. Vessels sent by the United Arab Emirates managed to reach Aden in May. A humanitarian ceasefire declared by the United Nations earlier this month failed to take hold. Over the past week, forces loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi have recaptured most of Aden from Huthi Shiite rebels and their allies. AFP