War-torn Yemen risks worse food crisis
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A man and a child look at a piece of art on a wall in Sana’a, Yemen, depicting the blockade and the prevention of the entry of food and medicine to the country due to the ongoing Saudi campaign, December 31, 2015. (AFP photo)
International banks have cut credit lines for traders shipping food to war-torn Yemen, choking off vital supplies to the country which faces the risk of famine.
According to Press TV, a trading source, speaking on condition of anonymity from Yemen, said on Friday that supplies are shrinking because international lenders are increasingly unwilling to offer letters of credit amid security concerns in Yemen.
Yemen has been under a crippling air and sea blockade by Saudi Arabia for nearly a year as the regime in Riyadh has been engaged in a deadly campaign against the impoverished country.
The Saudi aggression and blockade, which has been meant to undermine Yemen’s Ansarullah movement and restore power to the fugitive former President, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, has left 21 million people out of Yemen’s population of 26 million in need of humanitarian assistance.
The source said foreign banks are unwilling to process Yemen’s payments because ports have turned into battlegrounds and the financial system is disrupted due to the Saudi attacks.
“Western international banks no longer feel comfortable processing payments and are not willing to take the risk,” said the source.
Yemen relies on seaborne imports for almost all of its food needs, as the country lacks sufficient seasonal rains while access to farming areas is limited. Estimates show that over half of the Yemeni population is suffering from malnutrition as a result of the Saudi onslaught.
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