عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

85% of Agricultural Land Damaged by Floods in Yemen

279,000 sheep and goats affected by floods in Yemen (UN)
279,000 sheep and goats affected by floods in Yemen (UN)
TT
TT

85% of Agricultural Land Damaged by Floods in Yemen

279,000 sheep and goats affected by floods in Yemen (UN)
279,000 sheep and goats affected by floods in Yemen (UN)

Floods that recently hit Yemen have damaged approximately 85% of agricultural land, resulting in crop loss and livelihood destruction, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a factsheet on the humanitarian situation in the country.
The Agency said that flooding during recent months significantly disrupted the country's agricultural sector, adversely affecting approximately 279,400 livestock, and exacerbating food and health concerns among vulnerable population.
Also, heavy rainfall associated with flooding and landslides during Yemen’s two annual rainy seasons had affected nearly 938,000 people between March and August 31, according to USAID.
It said floodwaters have damaged health care and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases and the current cholera outbreak.
A recent United Nations report released on November 7, 2024, indicates that cholera cases in Yemen have surged to approximately 219,000 since the beginning of this year until October 20.
According to USAID, the floods have exacerbated already dire food security and malnutrition conditions across Yemen, including among households in southern Yemen projected to experience Emergency levels or worse of acute food insecurity through January 2025.
US Funding
The Agency reported that the total humanitarian funding provided by the US government as of September 30 reached more than $733.5 million this year, most of it ($691.2 million) provided by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), while the US Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration provided $42.3 million to meet the basic needs of millions of vulnerable people.
It said BHA assistance will be distributed to a number of UN agencies and partner organizations, most notably the World Food Program (WFP), to finance food assistance, cash transfers and therapeutic foods provided by the WFP to address acute food insecurity in Yemen.
Also, $140 million will be allocated for food assistance in addition to water, sanitation, and hygiene in 13 Yemeni governorates.
USAID and BHA partners will distribute assistance to vulnerable households, including conflict-affected, newly displaced, and other at-risk households, to help meet basic needs and develop linkages with longer-term programs, the Agency said.

 

 

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Egypt Moves to Postpone African Summit in El Alamein Over Ebola Concerns

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during his participation in the Korea-Africa Summit earlier this month (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during his participation in the Korea-Africa Summit earlier this month (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
TT
TT

Egypt Moves to Postpone African Summit in El Alamein Over Ebola Concerns

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during his participation in the Korea-Africa Summit earlier this month (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during his participation in the Korea-Africa Summit earlier this month (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

An Egyptian official source said there is a move toward postponing the African Union's Mid-Year Coordination Summit, which had been scheduled for the end of this month, due to the widespread spread of the Ebola virus in several African countries.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the outbreak has prompted the Egyptian government, in coordination with the African Union, to review plans for holding the summit and its accompanying events, including the El Alamein-Africa Business Forum. The summit and related activities are expected to be rescheduled for later this year.

The African Union Commission had been preparing to hold the summit on June 27. The gathering brings together the African Union and regional economic communities with the aim of accelerating economic integration across the continent.

The Egyptian government had also been preparing to host the inaugural El Alamein-Africa Forum from June 25 to 27, with the participation of government representatives, private-sector leaders and entrepreneurs from across Africa.

According to Egyptian sources, an announcement postponing the summit is expected until the health situation related to the spread of Ebola stabilizes.

The World Health Organization has expressed growing concern over the spread of Ebola following the rise in infections in Central Africa.

The organization previously raised its assessment of the outbreak risk in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda from "high" to "very high." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the risk level "remains high at the regional level."

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently warned that the current outbreak identified by the World Health Organization could reach a scale similar to the record outbreak between 2014 and 2016, which claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people in West Africa, if strict containment measures are not implemented.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry previously announced the establishment of the El Alamein-Africa Forum as a permanent African business forum to be held every two years in Egypt. It said the inaugural edition, scheduled for this year, would bring together more than 20 heads of state and government, along with prominent leaders from international and regional financial institutions and key figures from Africa's business community.

Arab World

Israeli Strikes on South Lebanon Kill 12

A paramedic runs in front of burned cars that were attacked in an Israeli airstrike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A paramedic runs in front of burned cars that were attacked in an Israeli airstrike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
TT
TT

Israeli Strikes on South Lebanon Kill 12

A paramedic runs in front of burned cars that were attacked in an Israeli airstrike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A paramedic runs in front of burned cars that were attacked in an Israeli airstrike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 12 people on Wednesday, a Lebanese medical source said, as state media reported Israeli strikes across the south.

"The number of martyrs from the Israeli airstrikes in the town of Tayr Dibba is eight, and in Deir Qanun al-Nahr it is four," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. State media had reported at least four Israeli strikes on Tayr Dibba and two on Deir Qanun

Also, an Israeli strike hit a car in the center of the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on Wednesday.

An AFP correspondent heard an explosion in the area before seeing a car burning as rescuers and firefighters headed to the scene. The correspondent saw rescuers pull two people from the targeted vehicle.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported "an enemy strike on a car" in the city.

The largest city in southern Lebanon, Sidon was relatively spared from the major Israeli strikes that have pummelled much of the country's south and east since the Iran-backed Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2.

The city, home to the largest Palestinian camp in the country, also shelters a large number of people displaced by the current war. The last time it was targeted was on May 28, when an Israeli strike on a building killed five people according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Arab World

Israel Detains Two Individuals from Lebanon for Questioning

An Israeli flag and a flag of the Golani Brigade fly on Beaufort Castle, as seen from Marjayoun, southern Lebanon, June 1, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
An Israeli flag and a flag of the Golani Brigade fly on Beaufort Castle, as seen from Marjayoun, southern Lebanon, June 1, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
TT
TT

Israel Detains Two Individuals from Lebanon for Questioning

An Israeli flag and a flag of the Golani Brigade fly on Beaufort Castle, as seen from Marjayoun, southern Lebanon, June 1, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
An Israeli flag and a flag of the Golani Brigade fly on Beaufort Castle, as seen from Marjayoun, southern Lebanon, June 1, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it had detained two people who approached troops in southern Lebanon and taken them to Israel for questioning.

"Earlier today, - Israeli soldiers - identified two 'suspected' individuals who approached the area in which soldiers are operating in southern Lebanon," the military said in a statement to AFP.

"Following the identification and in order to rule out any threat, the soldiers apprehended the suspected individuals, who were transferred to Israeli territory for further questioning."