Turkish agency distributes food in Yemen

By Hamdi Yildiz

ADEN, Yemen (AA) - One of Turkey's state-run agencies on Sunday distributed food to poor families and refugees in Yemen's southern port city of Aden.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) distributed some 800 food packages to needy people who were forced to migrate from Hudaydah and Taiz cities to Aden.

AFAD's Yemen representative Burhan Aslan said some 18,000 food packages will be distributed during Ramadan in Aden, Marib and Taiz.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Since then, tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

According to UN figures, Yemen is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 10 million people driven to the brink of famine. More than 22 million people in Yemen are desperate for humanitarian aid and protection.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar