The Saudi-led military, fighting against Houthi rebels in Yemen, has opened a land border partly easing a blockade that was earlier imposed in the Country. This was done in order to ease the humanitarian crises in Yemen.
However, the Saudi military stated that it would close all air, land and sea ports in Yemen, to cut the flow of arms to the Houthis, as Saudis accused Iran of sending weapons to rebels.
Meanwhile, the Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, had previously warned that Saudi Arabia’s blockade on Yemen is putting millions of people in danger of a mass famine.
Over 16,000 people have been killed since the onset of the war that started two-and-a-half years ago. Much of the Arabian Peninsula Country’s infrastructure, including Hospitals, Schools and Factories, have been reduced to rubble due to the war.
Unrest in Yemen
Yemen’s war began with the Arab Spring in 2011. Pro-democracy protesters took to the streets in a bid to force President Ali AbedAllah Saleh to end his 33-year rule. He responded with economic concessions but refused to resign.
However, in March, tensions on the streets of the capital city, Sanaa, saw protesters dying in the hands of the military. One of Yemen’s most prominent commanders backed the opposition, paving way for clashes between Government troops and tribal militias.
Yemen finally saw the transfer of power in November to Vice President, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, making room for elections in February in which he won unchallenged. Hadi’s attempts at constitutional and budget reforms generated uproar from Houthi rebels in the North.
In September 2014, the Houthis took over the control of Yemen’s Capital (Sanaa) and moved towards taking over the second largest city in the Country. They were however stopped by a coalition of Arab States in 2015.
The coalition includes; Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Morocco, Egypt, United Arab Emirate, Bahrain, Jordan, Sudan and Senegal, with these Countries sending down troops to fight or carry out air strikes.
Hadi’s Government has accused Iran of smuggling military arms to the Houthis, an accusation which Tehran has denied. The United States and the United Kingdom have both provided logistical support and intelligence to the Saudi-led coalition.
The United Nations Refugee Agency estimates that over 2.4 million people have fled the Country, to seek asylum in other Countries.
Will Saudi Arabia send humanitarian support to Yemen?
In April 2017, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pledged $150m donation to support the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) in Yemen.
The relief Center was established in May 2015. KSRelief has provided health, nutrition, sanitation aid and relief to about 17m people, impacted by the conflict in Yemen.
The center in collaboration with International Humanitarian Organizations has established more than 100 Health Facilities, provided emergency food aid and supplied more than 350,000 gallons of fuel to medical facilities. Saudi Arabia remains the single largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Yemen.
On October 29, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center hosted high-level meeting, to review humanitarian action mechanisms in Yemen, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
