Geneva, September 29: The UN refugee agency said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia had given it permission to transport much-needed aid across the kingdom’s border to people displaced by fighting in northern Yemen.
But despite receiving the green light to help tens of thousands of civilians affected by the Yemeni government offensive against a rebel group, the agency said it was still too dangerous to begin the operation.
“We received Sunday a formal agreement from Saudi authorities to carry out a cross-border operation to support the displaced population in northern Yemen,” said agency spokesman Andrej Mahecic.
It was unclear when security would improve enough for the aid operation to begin, said the spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“We will launch it as soon as the security conditions permit,” he added.
Both the Saudi and Yemeni governments have said they are willing to support the aid operation, the spokesman said.
The announcement came as Yemeni troops hit rebel positions with artillery on Tuesday, continuing an offence against the Zaidi rebels.
Twenty-nine rebel fighters were killed on Monday, including some of the group’s leadership, a military official said in statements carried by the official Saba news agency Tuesday.
Mahecic said the situation in the Saada province, which has been targeted in the offensive, remained “tense and volatile”.
“Local residents and displaced people… continue to face a dire humanitarian situation,” he said.
The UNHCR added it was still two million dollars (1.4 million euros) short of the amount it needed for its aid operation in the area and appealed for donations.
—Agencies