Vital aid flights to Houthi-held capital in Yemen to resume, says UN

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Vital aid flights to the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen, blocked for a month by the Iran-aligned group, will resume this month, allowing critical supplies to reach millions in need amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the U.N. said on Wednesday.

The Houthis' decision on Tuesday to approve flights for the month of February will allow aid groups to enter and exit the capital, Sanaa, which is under the group's control, U.N. Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Julien Harneis said in a statement.

The U.N. has warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen with some 21 million people needing aid, including millions living in Houthi-controlled areas.

Yemen has suffered 11 years of conflict between the Houthis, who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, and the internationally recognised government based in Aden. Some 4.8 million people are internally displaced and nearly half a million children require treatment for severe malnutrition.

On Friday, the U.N. had said the Houthis had not let the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service fly to Sanaa for over a month or to the city of Marib for over four months. These flights are the only way for NGO workers to enter and exit Houthi-controlled areas, Harneis said, and U.N. operations are limited to government-held areas.

The Houthis have previously described the work of some U.N. agencies as a political, military and intelligence operation aimed at subjugating Yemenis - allegations the United Nations denies.

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Ros Russell)