The United States announced on Wednesday September 22 additional aid of 290 million dollars and the European Union of 119 million euros (139 million dollars) for Yemen, a country at war hit by the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the UN.
This aid for Yemen was collected during a ministerial meeting organized by Sweden, Switzerland and the EU on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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Including contributions from other countries, they total $ 600 million, or one billion less than expected, lamented Oxfam's head for Yemen, Muhsin Siddiquey, in a statement.
International aid aims to provide humanitarian assistance to 20 million people in the areas of health, food, drinking water and education.
“
Sixteen million people are at risk of starvation,
” World Food Program (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley told the meeting.
"
We are short of money and by October we will have to reduce food rations by 3.2 million people and by December by 5 million people,
" he warned.
In conflict since 2014
The United States, the first aid contributor and allies of Saudi Arabia, one of the actors in the conflict, are bringing their humanitarian effort for Yemen to $ 800 million in 2021 and more than $ 4 billion since the start of the crisis in 2014, said the US Secretary of State.
The EU will provide 75 million euros from its development aid budget and 44 million from that of humanitarian aid, said a European diplomatic source, bringing a total of its aid to 209 million in 2021. .
Since 2014, the conflict has pitted Houthi rebels, supported by Shiite Iran, against government forces, supported since 2015 by a military coalition led by Sunni Saudi Arabia. Yemen, the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula, imports 90% of its food to meet the needs of its approximately 30 million inhabitants. Two thirds depend on international aid. In March, the UN, Sweden and Switzerland organized a donors' conference attended by around 100 countries that raised barely half of the expected funds. The UN's goal was to raise $ 3.85 billion, but only $ 1.7 billion was pledged at the time.