NEW YORK: Yemen’s Ansar Allah have diverted more than $1 billion in state funds to their fight in the country’s civil war, according to a confidential UN report.
A panel of experts estimates that the Ansar Allah diverted at least $1.8 billion in 2019 that was originally intended for the Yemeni government to use to pay salaries and provide basic services for citizens, according to the report.
In addition, corruption and money laundering by Yemen’s official government make it difficult for the population to access much-needed food, the panel reported.
In one case, funds from Yemen’s central bank worth $423 million had gone to private companies at the expense of citizens in the war-torn country, it said.
Representatives of the United Nations have repeatedly warned that Yemen is on the verge of a famine that could kill hundreds of thousands of people.
According to the report, the situation has been complicated by the decision from former US president Donald Trump’s administration to place the Ansar Allah on its terror list, as it could deter food importers from making shipments to the country.
So far, President Joe Biden’s new administration in Washington has not withdrawn the measure.
— dpa/Reuters
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