Yemeni gov't says UN 'biased' to Houthis

By Murad Erifi

SANAA (AA) - The internationally recognized Yemeni government on Tuesday accused the UN of being biased to the Houthi rebel group.

On Monday, UN envoy Martin Griffiths and UN emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock hailed Yemeni efforts to reopen the way to wheat warehouses in the coastal Al-Hudaydah city.

Writing on Twitter, Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani described the UN officials' statement as contradictory to previous statements blaming the Houthis for disrupting safe routes to food supply lines.

"[This is] a clear and blatant bias that should not be tolerated," he said.

"It is contrary to reality on the ground. For two months now, the Houthi militia has been obstructing the implementation of the Sweden agreement on Al-Hudaydah," al-Eryani said.

According to the Yemeni minister, the UN statement ignored the government's commitment and efforts to implement the ceasefire agreement in the coastal province.

On December 13, Yemeni peace talks held in Sweden concluded with a ceasefire deal in Al-Hudaydah between Houthis and the Yemeni government.

However, the warring parties have failed to withdraw from the province amid accusations of breaching the agreement.

Impoverished Yemen has remained dogged by violence since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including Sanaa.