Seven people detained in a part of Yemen held by the Houthis (Ansarallah) for using recycled boxes originating in Saudi Arabia to distribute aid have been released, the Norwegian Refugee Council said on Thursday (February 23rd).
The organisation's Yemen country director Mutasim Hamdan expressed relief at the release of the six staff members and a contracted driver, AFP reported.
"They are in good condition, and we are pleased that they are now reunited with their families," Hamdan said in a statement.
The seven were detained earlier this week in the Red Sea district of al-Hodeida, which is held by the Houthis, and accused of having accepted and distributed aid from the coalition.
The Norwegian Refugee Council, an independent aid group based in Oslo, said it did not receive funding from Saudi Arabia for its relief operations in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the UN on Wednesday appealed for $4.4 billion in emergency funding to address famine in four countries, including Yemen.
In Yemen, about 7.3 million people need food aid, in the "largest food insecurity emergency in the world", said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The UN chief also appealed to warring sides to allow aid workers to reach starving civilians.
"The situation is so dire. This is the moment in which international humanitarian law must be respected by all and access must be granted to all areas," he said.
