Fire at Hodeidah Port in Yemen Destroyed Humanitarian Aid Shipments

A large fire at the Hodeidah port in Yemen, controlled by the Houthis, destroyed warehouses containing cooking oil, food, and humanitarian aid. Workers at Hodeidah port reported to Reuters on Saturday, April 1st, that as of 11 AM GMT, fire trucks had still not been able to control the blaze, which was likely caused by an electrical short circuit. Images captured by Reuters show thick smoke in the sky and firefighters attempting to control the flames. Hodeidah port, located on the Red Sea coast, is the entry point for most of Yemen's imports, including foreign aid and food that the country desperately needs. Three years of civil war have pushed Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, to the brink of famine. A World Food Program employee told Reuters in a phone call, "The fire has destroyed a large amount of fuel, humanitarian aid, and food supplies," adding that investigations will be conducted regarding the cause of the fire. Saba, the news agency controlled by the Houthi rebels, reported the fire at Hodeidah port but did not mention the cause. Workers at the port say warehouses containing hundreds of thousands of sleeping supplies for war refugees have also been destroyed. Over 10,000 people have been killed in the Yemeni civil war so far, and the United Nations states that three-quarters of the 22 million population of the country are in need of assistance. The Saudi-led military coalition has been involved in the Yemeni civil war since the spring of 2015 to defend the Yemeni government, which was forced into exile after being defeated by the Iranian-backed Houthis. Last November, this military coalition blocked all ports and airports in Yemen in response to missile fire from the Houthis towards Riyadh, but ended the blockade after three weeks under international pressure. The Associated Press also reported, citing Yemen's state news agency, that the fire has engulfed a large portion of the World Food Program's warehouses at Hodeidah port, destroying significant amounts of humanitarian aid. Saba quoted Abdul-Raqeeb Fatah, Yemen's Minister of Local Administration, stating that the fire has destroyed a large amount of urgently needed aid stored at the port warehouses and called for investigations into the causes of the incident. Hodeidah port, controlled by the Houthis, plays a crucial role in the transfer of humanitarian aid to the country, which a large portion of Yemen's population relies on. Abdul-Rahman Al-Faqih, the public relations officer of the Civil Defense Department in Hodeidah, stated, "We managed to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to other facilities in the area such as factories, companies, and commercial warehouses. The cause of this fire may be negligence." A warehouse guard named Mohammad Qaleb said he saw some smoke around dawn but initially thought it was from burning trash. He added, "If this fire had been controlled from the beginning, it would not have spread this much." Three years of war have destroyed much of Yemen's infrastructure, paralyzed the healthcare system, and brought the country to the brink of famine. Yemen is now facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, with over 22 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. In recent years, thousands of people in this country have lost their lives due to malnutrition, cholera, and other diseases.