The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has welcomed a $240 million contribution from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to support the food needs of vulnerable people in Yemen during the holy month of Ramadan. “The generous contribution will greatly help Yemenis follow their practices and traditions during this important time,” WFP said in a statement. “WFP plans to use this contribution to provide millions of families with monthly food rations of flour, pulses, vegetable oil, sugar and salt.” On the other hand, Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande said Tuesday that it is a relief that the UN has finally been given the green light to use an existing corridor to gain access to the Red Sea Mills, adding that it is very positive that the parties have taken this step. “Securing access to the Mills has been a long, difficult and frustrating process,” she said. Grande also stressed the importance of doing everything possible to ensure that all humanitarian partners have free, unimpeded and immediate access to people who need and deserve assistance. “Everyone knows we need the food in the Mills. It’s now a race against time to salvage supplies that can feed 3.7 million people for a month,” she added. The WFP, for its part, announced that a technical team led by it has gained access to the Red Sea Mills on the eastern outskirts of Hodeidah city as part of initial efforts to salvage a stock of 51,000 tons of wheat flour stored at the facility. The Mills have been inaccessible for the last eight months due to intense fighting. “The technical team will remain at the site to clean and service the milling equipment in preparation for the milling and eventual distribution of the wheat,” WFP spokesman Herve Verhoosel explained. “We will need to send more workers and technical experts to the mills in due course and send supplies to the team now working at the site.” He noted that in order for works to continue, “ongoing safe access to the Mills, which lie close to sensitive frontline areas” is needed. In March, the WFP distributed food to more than 10.6 million people in Yemen, the largest number ever reached in a single month. “We are scaling up to support 12 million people in urgent need of food in the coming months. WFP Operations in Yemen are the biggest for WFP in the world,” the spokesperson added. WFP explained on its official website that its Deputy Executive Director Amir Abdulla traveled to Yemen on a three-day mission. He first traveled to Aden, where he met with the legitimate government of the country’s premier and other senior officials before heading to Sanaa, where he met UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths and leaders from the Iran-backed Houthi militias, the statement said.