Hodeidah: The Emirates Red Crescent on Sunday began the distribution of urgent humanitarian supplies to civilians in the liberated areas of Hodeidah, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent announced.
The distribution of humanitarian aid in Hodeidah’s liberated areas aims to ease the suffering of Yemeni civilians who continue to face severe economic hardship under the occupation of the Al Houthi militia.
The distribution of humanitarian aid coincides with the celebration of Eid Al Fitr. The aid was dispatched in liberated areas in Hodeidah as well as other Yemeni areas along the Red Sea coast that are no longer under Al Houthi control.
Dr. Al Hassan Ali Taher, Governor of Hodeidah, highlighted in a statement that the UAE’s significant efforts to support Yemen, its people and its legitimate government has not wavered.
“The UAE is doing all it can to liberate Yemen from the control of the Iranian-backed Houthis,” the governor said. “It is providing the necessary aid to alleviate the hardships caused by the militia.
“The UAE is also engaged in massive efforts to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, focused heavily on hospitals and schools. Its efforts to bring life back to normalcy in liberated areas are commendable. The UAE’s humanitarian initiatives have had a great positive impact on the living conditions of the Yemenis.”
Hareb Al Awani, Member of the ERC Team on the Red Sea Coast of Yemen, said the ERC is also supporting the current efforts to liberate Hodeidah through development projects.
He said: “The people of the liberated areas of Hodeidah expressed their happiness at the arrival of the urgent humanitarian aid and thanked the UAE’s leadership for their care and support.
“They said that this continued support by the UAE is a testament to the depth and solid foundations of relations between the two countries.”
The ERC dispatched an emergency relief bridge consisting of ten UAE vessels carrying 35,000 tonnes of food, as well as an emergency aid airlift that included seven flights carrying 14,000 food parcels to the Yemeni people. Also dispatched are 100 trucks carrying aid purchased from local markets.
The UAE has contributed $3.7 million (Dh13.6 million) to aid to Yemen from April 2015 to May 2018 focused primarily on healthcare, education, security, public facilities, infrastructure and reconstruction and directly benefiting 13.8 million Yemenis, of which 5.3 million are children.
The UAE has also pledged $500 million to support the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen in 2018, in addition to $70 million to renovate seaports and airports.
The UAE has also set up a humanitarian assistance office in Yemen to provide field support to international aid organisations with the aim of expediting emergency response to civilians in need.
