The United Arab Emirates has committed $1 billion to rebuild Yemen’s shattered electricity network, pledging major support for power and energy projects during a visit by its ambassador to the country’s interim capital, Aden. The funding was announced after a meeting in Aden between Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad al-Alimi and UAE Ambassador Mohamed Hamad Al Zaabi, where the Emirati side set out plans to help restore generation and transmission capacity in key areas.
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
Yemen’s power sector has been in crisis for years, deteriorating sharply since the country’s civil war escalated in 2015 between the Saudi- and UAE-backed government and Iran-aligned Houthi forces. Fighting, airstrikes, and neglect have destroyed plants and transmission lines, while a collapse in state revenues and fuel shortages have limited what remains of the grid. In the south, including Aden, residents often endure up to 12 hours a day without electricity, pushing households and businesses to depend on costly private generators and small solar panels.
The Emirati pledge was timed with the First National Energy Conference in Aden, a gathering of government officials, investors, and renewable energy specialists focused on stabilizing the grid, reforming tariffs and regulation, and drawing in foreign and regional capital. The UAE has been a key player in Yemen’s conflict and reconstruction, providing military support to southern forces and financing infrastructure and humanitarian projects, especially in Aden and other coastal areas. The new package signals continued Emirati involvement in shaping Yemen’s economic and energy future even as the broader political settlement remains fragile.