SNA (Birmingham) — Japan has been targeting aid to the port of Aden, which is transmitting crucial assistance to the poverty and war-stricken nation of Yemen.

90% of Yemen’s food and other critical supplies flow through the port of Aden, which sits near the neck of water that connects the Arabian Sea with the Red Sea.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the port currently receives approximately fifty ships per month bearing much-needed fuel and food supplies to a nation in which there are up to 19 million people living with food insecurity, including many who have been dying from hunger.

Recognizing the vital humanitarian role played by Aden, the Japanese government last month boosted its financial aid to the port by US$3.6 million, bringing its total contribution to US$11.5 million since 2016.

Japan’s latest grant focuses on “improving the port’s operational capacity to handle goods,” according to the UNDP Yemen’s Resident Representative Auke Lootsma. Specifically, it involves repairs to two storage areas, introducing wifi to the port to allow quicker communication with handheld devices, and increasing security.

Higher security is deemed to be necessary in part due to the fact that Houthi forces have been threatening to target Saudi oil ships, including those in the port of Aden.

According to Tsunetaka Tsuchiya, a team leader of the UNDP Yemen Peace Operations Support Unit, the Japanese aid “is expected to reduce the cost of food across Yemen, eventually enabling the United Nations to deliver food to more people.”

Food insecurity has played a critical, and perhaps the a decisive, role in the Yemen Civil War, which flared up in 2014–and intensified after March 2015 when neighboring Saudi Arabia sent troops directly into the conflict in support of the internationally-recognized regime.

The United Nations has estimated that most of the estimated 370,000+ deaths in the Yemen conflict are the result of “indirect causes” such as starvation and a lack of access to needed health services.

The current situation in Yemen remains extremely delicate. A ceasefire has been in place since early April, but the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement on a further extension. During this six months of relative peace, relief networks have been revived and the UNDP reported that casualties dropped by about 60%.

It is unclear if a new ceasefire agreement will be reached or if large-scale fighting will resume. Concerns are high, especially because Houthi forces have increased attacks on government forces this month. There was also a drone attack in which eight civilians were heavily injured on their way to a wedding, an action which was blamed by some sources on the Houthis.

Oxfam’s country director in Yemen, Ferran Puig despaired, “The end of the truce is terrible news for the people of Yemen. Millions will now be at risk of airstrikes, ground shelling, and missile attacks.”

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