KSRelief’s Al-Rabeeah Discusses Support for Yemen, Exposes Houthi Targeting of Humanitarian Relief

KSRelief’s Al-Rabeeah Discusses Support for Yemen, Exposes Houthi Targeting of Humanitarian Relief
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KSRelief’s Al-Rabeeah Discusses Support for Yemen, Exposes Houthi Targeting of Humanitarian Relief

KSRelief’s Al-Rabeeah Discusses Support for Yemen, Exposes Houthi Targeting of Humanitarian Relief

Saudi Arabia continues to support the building of neighboring Yemen’s coronavirus vaccination capacity, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah reaffirmed on Thursday

Speaking at an online videoconference organized by the National Council of US-Arab Relations, Al-Rabeeah revealed that talks were ongoing between KSRelief and the Yemeni government to extend more support to the war-torn country.

After contacting Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, KSRelief arranged for the delivery of a number of testing kits and machines and cameras to authorities at Yemen’s health ministry, noted Al-Rabeeah.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Saudi Arabia has stood in solidarity with the Yemeni health sector and government institutions fighting the spread of the pandemic.

On the challenges facing humanitarian relief work in Yemen, Al-Rabeeah cited security threats and hostility carried out by Houthis against aid workers in the battle-weary country.

“KSRelief convoys have been targeted in more than 35 incidents,” said Al-Rabeeah, adding that 39 arbitrary detentions and 31 muggings have targeted the organization’s workers and aid supplies in Yemen.

Al-Rabeeah also shed light on Houthi militias recruiting and deploying child soldiers to fight on battlefronts.

“Over 25,000 children have been recruited,” he said, adding that KSRelief is working on rehabilitating minors that were drafted by Houthi militias.

According to Al-Rabeeah, KSRelief launched a rehabilitation program that offers psychological, social, educational and family counseling services to prevent those children from becoming a threat in the future.

As for Saudi Arabia’s record of ongoing support for Yemenis, Al-Rabeeah reminded that the kingdom hosts over half a million Yemeni refugees that it treats as “visitors, not asylum seekers.”

Yemenis in Saudi Arabia have been granted official documents all over the kingdom, stressed Al-Rabeeah.

He also pointed out that Yemeni children are offered free access to public schools and health programs in Saudi Arabia.



Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.