Iranian aid cargo boat for Yemen offloaded in Djibouti

United Nations officials in the Horn of Africa port of Djibouti said Saturday they had taken charge of the aid cargo carried by an Iranian boat headed for war-torn Yemen.

The vessel, the MV Shahed, is carrying 2,500 tonnes of aid including flour, rice, canned food, medical supplies and bottled water, all urgently needed in the conflict-wracked state just across the Gulf of Aden from Djibouti.

"The cargo has been handed over to WFP in Djibouti and is currently being offloaded," said UN World Food Programme spokeswoman Abeer Etefa told AFP.

"The ship carries 2,500 ton of humanitarian aid and that includes mainly rice and wheat flour, as well as medicine, water, tents and blankets."

Djiboutian authorities said the Iranian cargo ship arrived late Friday night in the Gulf of Aden port.

"The ship will be completely unloaded and reloaded onto other vessels, everything is transparent," Djibouti port authority chief Abubaker Hadi told AFP.

The ship's mission was overshadowed by US calls for it to head to a UN emergency relief hub in Djibouti instead of docking in the Yemeni port of Hodeida.

Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of arming Yemen's Huthi rebels, but Tehran denies the charge.

Iran says it is helping in Yemen by opposing air strikes and providing aid.

All aid and humanitarian assistance will be sent on WFP ships to Yemen, either in the port of Hodeida, or the southern port of Aden, Etefa added.

The Saudi-led coalition has waged an air campaign against the Huthis since March 26 in an effort to restore the authority of President Abedrabbo Mansour al-Hadi, who has fled to Riyadh with members of his government.
Source: AFP