Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) yesterday announced a new $500 million relief aid for Yemen.
The two Gulf States’ announcement came during a joint press conference held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, which was attended by the General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, and the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem Al Hashimy.
Al-Rabeeah said the Saudi-led military coalition countries have provided $18 billion in aid to Yemen over the past three years.
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On her part, Al-Hashimy pointed out that the new fund “will target more than 10 million Yemenis.”
Impoverished Yemen has remained in a state of civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sana’a.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s embattled government.
According to UN officials, more than 10,000 people have been killed in the war, while more than 11 per cent of the country’s population has been displaced.