ABU DHABI: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which head an Arab coalition fighting Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen, will provide $200 million in aid to the country for use during the holy month of Ramazan, the UAE said on Monday.
The Saudis and Emiratis are working with humanitarian groups to distribute the aid within areas controlled by both sides in the four-year conflict, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem al-Hashimy told reporters in Abu Dhabi.
The aid is part of a $500 million joint food aid programme announced in November.
The UAE plays a leading role in Yemen’s conflict as part of a Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in 2015 against the Houthi movement to restore the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The UAE donated $5.41 billion between April 2015 and December 2018 to support emergency food aid, energy supply, and health services, according to ministry statistics. Among international organisations, the biggest beneficiary was the UN World Food Program (WFP), which received $287 million in aid from the UAE.
During the month of Ramazan, which this year begins in early May, devout Muslims fast during daylight hours.
Yemen’s war has killed tens of thousands of people, and driven 10 million to the brink of famine.
