Saudi Arabia reaffirms support to Yemen

The conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen is taking a dramatic turn for the worse, with Houthi rebels pursuing a military offensive in Marib governorate alongside a surge in cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Martin Griffiths, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, said that 1 million internally displaced persons are among the civilians at risk as Houthi rebels and Government forces clash in Marib, with combatants on both sides suffering heavy losses. He also expressed concern at intensified missile and drone strikes, including those aimed at Saudi Arabia.

“It is not only Yemenis who are suffering in Yemen,” he said, calling for an independent investigation into a fire that swept though a detention facility in Sana’a holding mainly Ethiopian migrants.

The Yemeni Government welcomes both United Nations efforts to end the conflict peacefully and the diplomatic pathway announced by the new Administration in the United States. However, the Houthis remain intransigent and reject all peace initiatives, with its spokesman rejecting United States and international efforts.

Yemen’s Information Minister Muammar Al-Iryani said Yemen is facing difficult circumstances that need the rapid intervention of humanitarian organizations.

A donor conference organized by Saudi Arabia reflects the Kingdom’s support for the Yemeni people, Yemen’s government.

This year Saudi Arabia, which leads the military coalition fighting the Houthis, announced it would donate $430 million in aid. Like last year, it was the largest amount pledged by any single country.

“Organizing, sponsoring, and hosting the donor conference in Saudi Arabia, and the support that it has devoted, embodies the Kingdom’s supportive positions for the Yemeni people facing difficult circumstances and unstable situations that require urgent support and rapid and continuous intervention from international humanitarian and relief agencies and organizations,” Al-Iryani said on Twitter.

The contribution of Saudi Arabia to Yemen since the beginning of the crisis in 2015, in humanitarian assistance, development and relief for the Yemeni people, amounted to $11.18 billion.