Jeddah- Mr. Abdullah Abu Ghaith, acting governor of Yemen’s Hodeida governorate, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that over three million Hodeida residents are facing extreme short-term starvation.

The region has been hit by a sizable lack in basic food supplies ever since coup militias had claimed control over civilian neighborhoods.

Mr. Ghaith says that international contributions to relief starving Hodeida civilians are mostly recognized by efforts exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which until this moment had provided Hodeida families and inhabitants with a supply of 100,000 food aid baskets.

More so, Mr. Ghaith revealed that Iranian and foreign experts have been increasingly flowing into Hodeida. He added that new-coming experts are currently cooperating with Houthi militias to outline strategies and plots for coup armed forces. Over six thousand Houthi and pro-Saleh armed fighters have spread across the governorate—Houthi militants, orchestrating the coup, are joined by gunmen supporting ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Mr.Ghaith reported that militias overrunning Hodeida are furnished with low-medium caliber weapons and carry out violent action, arbitrary arrests, and systematic torture against Yemeni civilians.

“The situation in Hodeida is short to tragic, and is deteriorating without delay; infrastructure and civilian service are non-functional, there is a great deficiency in water supply, in addition to power outages,” said Mr. Ghaith.

Iran-aligned militants do not only attack the community’s adult male population, but is noted to have staged assaults and acts of violence against women, children and the elderly, added Mr.Ghaith.

Over 500 civilians are held in Houthi-run prisons and are subjected to daily torture.

Houthi gunmen have enforced a siege engulfing the whole of Hodeida, said Mr. Ghaith. Tanks and armed militants uphold their position at the northern governorate’s gateway connecting it to Sana’a—militants have also seized control over the southern gateway which connects Hodeida to Aden.

Houthi militias also keep on fueling fear among civilians.

Mr. Ghaith revealed that many senior army officials who do not support the insurgency are currently trapped in Hodeida and are on effective house arrest—some of whom have not left home for weeks in fears of being apprehended by militant Houthis.

He also explained that Hodeida is being exploited by the coup militias for its strategic location.

Hodeida city rests on the shores of the Red Sea. Militants are using the city’s seaport to traffic in weapons and drugs.

Iran takes advantage of militants dominating seaports so that it is able to move weapons into Yemen.