Aid reaching Yemeni IDPs, says WFP

SANAA, Yemen, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The U.N. World Food Program and its partners announced that it delivered humanitarian aid to nearly 100,000 internally displaced persons in Yemen since August.

WFP said it was delivering food aid to the IDP population in the northern provinces of Yemen where fighting between government forces and Shiite al-Houthi rebels is at its worst.

The relief organization said much of the recent aid was from cross-border routes originating in Saudi Arabia. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Yemeni Red Crescent Society began ferrying supplies through the northern route last week.

WFP said that while the aid delivery has improved, it was worried some of the IDP population in the north remains cut off from vital resources.

"WFP is calling for the establishment of reliable humanitarian corridors to guarantee safe and continued passage for relief convoys," said Gian Carlo Cirri, the WFP representative in Yemen.

Yemeni forces launched a major military offensive against al-Houthi rebels in early August. International relief groups said the level of violence has created a humanitarian emergency for those impacted by the conflict.

WFP estimates refugees are fleeing some conflict zones at a rate of 200 people per day.