AFP – Authorities in Yemen have identified a suspect in the killing of a World Food Programme (WFP) official in the southern Taez province, a security official told AFP.
Head of the United Nations food agency’s office in Taez Moayad Hameidi, was killed in a shooting on Friday in the nearby city of Turbah, the Rome-based WFP has confirmed.
“The perpetrator of the criminal assassination of the United Nations employee in the city of Turbah in Taez (province)… has been in the city of Taez since 2017, after fleeing Aden due to security operations against Al-Qaeda operatives,” the security official said late on Friday.
Speaking on condition on anonymity, the Taez province official was unable to confirm whether the suspect belonged to the extremist group.
Aden has been the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government since Iran-backed Huthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa in 2014. In an initial statement on Friday, the WFP said it was “deeply saddened” by the death of its employee. “A dedicated humanitarian, Hameidi, had worked for WFP for 18 years, including a previous stint in Yemen as well as time in Sudan, Syria, and Iraq.”
WFP’s Yemen Country Director, Richard Ragan, said: “Any loss of life in humanitarian service is an unacceptable tragedy.”
