Saudi Humanitarian Aid to Yemen Tops $17 Billion

Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian aid to Yemen has topped $17.3 billion, including $3.5 billion offered by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), making the Kingdom the largest donor to the war-torn country.

KSrelief General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah added that Saudi Arabia was one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid in the world.

Through KSrelief, the Kingdom is carrying out 1,556 humanitarian projects, covering 59 countries with a value exceeding $5 billion, Al-Rabeeah said during a virtual meeting organized by the National Council on US-Arab Relations entitled "Humanitarian Challenges in Yemen" on Wednesday.

Of those projects, 590 are being implemented in Yemen at a cost of over $3.5 billion, he added.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia’s aid is provided without discrimination over race or religion, adding that KSrelief's programs in Yemen cover all governorates even those that are held by the Iran-backed terrorist Houthi militias.

He accused the Houthis of disregarding the coronavirus pandemic, other diseases, and the humanitarian conditions that are jeopardizing the lives of all Yemenis.

Al-Rabeeah also accused them of looting humanitarian aid dedicated to the Yemenis from donor countries and of using them for their war effort, therefore depriving the people of the most basic rights of a decent human life.

The Houthi violations of humanitarian work in Yemen have crossed all limits, he added.

Moreover, he said the militias are using anti-aircraft weapons to attack civilian locations, they are planting mines in neighborhoods, forcibly recruiting children, seizing aid ships and humanitarian convoys, intimidating humanitarian field workers and bombing hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and other civilian facilities.

Saudi Arabia, represented by KSrelief, has initiated several programs to address the humanitarian challenge, including the Saudi Project for Mine Clearance in Yemen (Masam), which has so far succeeded in removing 232,257 mines in Yemen.

Other projects are the Artificial Limb Center (ALC) project and the rehabilitation program for children, who were recruited by the Houthis and forced into the armed conflict.

Al-Rabeeah called on United Nations agencies to stand up against these violations, stressing that Saudi Arabia is keen on ending the crisis and supporting all peace initiatives put forward by UN envoys to Yemen.

He affirmed the Kingdom's support for every meaningful and constructive dialogue that supports peace efforts and adopts peaceful solutions in Yemen according to the three references to ensure the return of security and stability in the country.