Yemen calls for 'urgent' international support as economy collapses

Yemeni Prime Minister, Maeen Abdulmalik, yesterday called for “urgent international support to avoid an economic collapse.”

Abdulmalik’s remarks came during his meeting with the British Ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim.

According to the official Saba News Agency, the meeting had discussed the “latest developments in Yemen, as well as the needed international support to the government to realise economic and livelihood stability for the Yemeni people.”

During the meeting, Abdulmalik had discussed the “challenges facing the government across the economic, financial and public service aspects,” as well as the “reform programmes” the government is implementing across the country.

The Yemeni premier called for “urgent international support to avoid the catastrophic risks of the country’s economic collapse.” “The Yemeni government is working hard to mitigate the repercussions of the decline in the local currency, and curb the rising inflation and weak purchasing power,” Abdulmalik stressed.

He reiterated that international community support was “necessary to achieve economic stability.”

The Yemeni riyal has been witnessing a steep decline, with the US dollar amounting to nearly 1,400 riyals in the governorates controlled by the internationally-recognised government. Before the start of the 2015 Yemeni war, the US dollar average price against the local currency stood at 215 riyals.

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