The UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has announced a new package of UK aid worth £160 million that will help fight the outbreak of coronavirus in Yemen as well as address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the world’s most fragile state.
The announcement comes ahead of today’s (2 June 2020) virtual UN High Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen, co-hosted by Saudi Arabia, one of the main belligerents in the five-year Yemen civil war.
It is the first time Saudi Arabia has acted as co-host for a United Nations Yemen Humanitarian event, a decision which has been criticised by some in the international community owing to the Kingdom repeatedly being accused of war crimes in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia has however been the main donor to the UN relief operation in Yemen, providing $15bn over the past five years.
Full details of the UK aid package are yet to be revealed but Dominic Raab has said:
“This targeted UK aid package will mean the difference between life and death for thousands of Yemenis who now also face the threat of coronavirus. Our support will help ensure families can feed themselves and access clean water and medical care.”
Mr. Raab also paid tribute to the aid workers on the frontline who are working “around the clock to get help to where it is needed”.
However, according to a government press release:
“The Foreign Secretary is expected to tell delegates at the virtual UN High Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen that aid workers will struggle to deliver this assistance unless restrictions placed upon them, particularly by the Houthis, are lifted.”
The Houthis are an Iranian-backed rebel group, fighting to oust the internationally recognised government. Since 2015 the group has controlled most of the northern territory in Yemen.
UN data has shown that restrictions on access, particularly in Houthi controlled areas, are now affecting the delivery of assistance to almost 9 million people across Yemen, an all-time high.
The Houthis have also presided over a brutal crackdown on press freedom in areas under their control. The International Observatory of Human Rights has been campaigning for the immediate release of 4 innocent Yemeni journalists who have been sentenced to death by a Houthi backed court for simply doing their job of covering the war in Yemen.
It has to be said, both sides – the Iranian-backed Houthis and Saudi-Arabian led coalition – have played their part in a tragic war that has left more than 24 million people, over 80% of the population, requiring some form of assistance. Nearly a quarter of Yemen’s districts have no doctors and only half of the country’s health facilities are still functional, with 20 million people lacking any access to medical care. There is no doubt that the civilians of Yemen are paying the greatest price for this conflict.
Should the UK’s aid package successfully navigate its way to those in need, the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) hope it will:
“Help to tackle the spread of COVID-19 in Yemen and expects to provide over 700,000 medical consultations, train 12,000 healthcare workers to work safely in a COVID-19 environment, and provide a much-needed boost to nearly 4,000 health centres to continue providing existing health services.”
International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:
“Yemen is suffering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with millions of people at risk of starvation. The ongoing conflict as well as the coronavirus outbreak could make what is already a dire situation worse…The UK continues to be at the forefront of the humanitarian response. Today’s UK aid pledge will help feed millions of Yemenis who face constant uncertainty over when they will eat their next meal.”
The new package would bring the total amount of UK funding sent to Yemen to £970 million since the conflict began.