Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian impact of the latest military offensive on Hodeidah port in Yemen.

The UK continues to raise concerns with the Saudi led-Coalition about the potential impact of any assault on the port and city of Hodeidah and is monitoring the resumption of hostilities in and around Hodeidah closely. As we have consistently made clear, the Coalition must ensure that any further military operations in and around Hodeidah are conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law and do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows.

The impact of the violence around Hodeidah on commercial and humanitarian access is one of the main reasons behind the UN’s warning of the growing risk of food insecurity in Yemen. We are concerned by reports that access to the Red Sea mills has been restricted as result of the latest fighting.

UK aid partners continue to deliver life-saving support on the ground as part of our £170 million response in Yemen this year, including cash transfers to 21,000 people displaced from Hodeidah, as well as access to 75,000 litres of clean water a day.