Saudi Arabia, UAE Pledge $200 Million in Aid for War-torn Yemen

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have pledged $200 million in aid to war-torn Yemen, Reem al-Hashimy, the UAE’s minister of state for international cooperation, said at a news conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Both Gulf nations are working with humanitarian organizations to ensure that the aid is distributed in both Houthi and government-controlled areas during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins on May 5, although they have been backing the Yemini government against Iranian-sponsored Houthi rebels, who remain in control of the capital Sanaa. Yemen’s civil war, which began in 2015, has largely been seen as a proxy war between the Riyadh and Tehran in order to limit the latter’s clout in the region. Yemen’s economy reportedly has lost some $50 billion during the conflict, and the war has led to what the United Nations describes as potentially the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.