Yemen reacts to Oxfam report

SANAA, Yemen, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Statements made by international aid group Oxfam regarding the situation in north Yemen are without merit, Yemeni officials said.

Oxfam as part of a donor appeal last week warned the conflict in Yemen could "ignite into a full-blow humanitarian crisis" without a cease-fire between government forces and al-Houthi rebels in the north of the country.

Abdul Karim Ras'a, the Yemeni minister of public health, lashed out at the organization, saying the government may expel any agency that makes irresponsible statements, the official Saba news agency reports.

He went on to say the government welcomes any relief agency working in the country but warned decisions regarding groups that abuse their position could happen without warning.

Ras'a said that the statements by Oxfam were made without meeting with government committees for displaced persons and without actually visiting refugee camps.

The Yemeni government launched a major military offensive against al-Houthi rebels in August. The United Nations and international relief groups have issued several appeals warning of the humanitarian consequences of the conflict.

Oxfam in a Sept. 22 statement said "it is critical that agencies are able to safely reach civilians trapped behind the frontlines who we can only imagine must be in dire and urgent need of aid for survival."