Yemen's government on Tuesday called on the United Nations to immediately intervene to end the blockade of food aid to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

Yemen's Minister of Local Administration Abdul-Raqeeb Fatih demanded UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen Lise Grande instantly put direct pressure on the Houthi fighters to allow the flow of relief and food aid into the Durayhmi district of Hodeidah.

Fatih, who also chairs Yemen's High Relief Committee, strongly condemned the Houthi acts that prevented the World Food Program from delivering food to the residents in Durayhmi.

In a statement released by Yemen's state-run Saba news agency, the Yemeni minister urged international organizations, particularly the UN, to rescue people who are in an urgent need of aid.

The Houthi rebels control much of Hodeidah while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to the southeastern districts.

Yemen has been locked in a civil war since the Houthi rebels seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

The prolonged military conflict has aggravated the suffering of Yemenis and deepened the world's worst humanitarian crisis.