Discussant:
Amb. Edmund Fitton-Brown
Senior Advisor, Counter Extremism Project (CEP)

On June 20, 2024, CEP hosted a webinar to present a new, in-depth report on Houthi diversion of humanitarian assistance in Yemen.

Despite receiving over $20 billion in international humanitarian assistance over the past decade, the humanitarian situation in Yemen remains precarious. One reason for this protracted crisis seems to be systematic aid diversion by the Houthis on a significant scale. The Houthis have established a sophisticated structure to exploit humanitarian assistance for their own ends and prevent some of the aid from reaching those most in need in the country.

Unfortunately, they have encountered only limited pushback from organizations that are funded for the express purpose of helping Yemen’s most vulnerable. Furthermore, reporting on aid delivery by humanitarian organizations is not transparent, which complicates and frustrates efforts to counter Houthi diversion of humanitarian assistance.

What is the scale of the aid diversion problem? How do the Houthis influence the way in which aid is allocated? How can humanitarian organizations minimize the problem of Houthi aid diversion?