In the din of battle, truth is sometimes the biggest casualty. The reality on the ground is masked by baseless allegations that make for catchy headlines. One such hidden truth is the amount of aid that has been given to Yemen by countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. When Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir told the BBC that “no combination of countries has given more to Yemen than Saudi Arabia” he was indeed stating a fact. Just last week, the kingdom pledged to inject $2 billion (Dh7.35 billion) into Yemen’s central bank — currently based in Aden as Al Houthi militias continue to illegally occupy the capital Sana’a — to support the country’s devastated economy and help stabilise the Yemeni riyal.
Al Houthis are also withholding billions of riyals in trade tariffs and taxes coming into the Red Sea port of Hodeida. This is one of the reasons the Coalition has insisted that the militia hand back control of Hodeida. In fact, Al Houthis themselves recently pledged to hand it over the United Nations. But, if past experience is anything to go by, Al Houthis’ promises are made to be broken.
On its part, the UAE has shown, repeatedly, that it will always be the first to help those in need. The UN has commended the UAE for its help in combating the outbreak of cholera across Yemen, with the Emirates Red Crescent leading the way.
All this proves that the Coalition wishes nothing but the best for the Yemeni people. There is only one reason for its intervention in the country: Upholding the legitimacy of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
