US Announces $165 Million Humanitarian Aid to Yemen

A child in a camp for the displaced on the outskirts of Sanaa. (EPA)
A child in a camp for the displaced on the outskirts of Sanaa. (EPA)
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US Announces $165 Million Humanitarian Aid to Yemen

A child in a camp for the displaced on the outskirts of Sanaa. (EPA)
A child in a camp for the displaced on the outskirts of Sanaa. (EPA)

The United States on Monday announced an additional $165 million in humanitarian aid for Yemen, as the war-ravaged country continues to face what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

“The US is announcing today $165 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Yemen,” said Tim Lenderking, US special envoy for Yemen.

“We believe that taking immediate steps to mitigate the humanitarian crisis and save lives can contribute to progress on the peace process,” he told a virtual press conference.

Lenderking said that the aid will be provided through the USAID, which has resumed operations regions held by the Iran-backed Houthi militias that had previously hindered the agency’s operations.

“We’re supporting efforts to prevent famine, which has again become a very real threat,” he continued.

Five million Yemenis are on the brink of famine, and some 50,000 people live in famine-like conditions -- the first time such critical levels of hunger have been reached in two years, according to the UN World Food Program.

The UN has warned that famine could become part of Yemen’s “reality” this year.

A donor conference earlier this year raised $1.7 billion in aid for the country -- just half its target.

Lenderking has paid several visits to the region since his appointment earlier this year. He is working closely with the UN envoy to reach a political solution to the conflict.

UN reports have said that the violence witnessed in Yemen by the Houthis has cost the lives of at least 233,000 people, left millions on the brink of famine and led to a massive humanitarian crisis.

At least 400,000 Yemeni children under 5 could die of starvation this year without urgent intervention amid soaring rates of severe malnutrition, several UN agencies warned.

The agencies projected a 22 percent increase in severe acute malnutrition among children under 5 in Yemen, compared to 2020.

“Obviously, the US can’t do this alone so other donors, particularly regional donors, must step up their contributions,” said Lenderking.

“I think that over time and as the military situation remains stalemated, that the Houthis will be more willing to negotiate,” he added.

In March, Saudi Arabia proposed a nationwide ceasefire, but the Houthis turned down the suggestion and demanded instead ending the blockade on the country’s ports and Sanaa International Airport.



Egypt Needs to Import $1.18 Billion in Fuel to End Power Cuts, PM Says

The moon is seen after the day of Strawberry Moon over old houses in Cairo, Egypt, June 22, 2024. (Reuters)
The moon is seen after the day of Strawberry Moon over old houses in Cairo, Egypt, June 22, 2024. (Reuters)
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Egypt Needs to Import $1.18 Billion in Fuel to End Power Cuts, PM Says

The moon is seen after the day of Strawberry Moon over old houses in Cairo, Egypt, June 22, 2024. (Reuters)
The moon is seen after the day of Strawberry Moon over old houses in Cairo, Egypt, June 22, 2024. (Reuters)

Egypt needs to import around $1.18 billion worth of mazut fuel oil and natural gas to end persistent power cuts exacerbated by consecutive heat waves, its Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in a televised address on Tuesday.

It hopes the shipments will arrive in full around the third week of July, by which point the government aims to stop cutting power during the remaining summer months, he added.

It has already started contracting for 300,000 tons of mazut worth $180 million to boost its strategic reserves which are expected to arrive early next week.

Egypt's government on Monday extended daily power cuts to three hours from two hours previously in response to a surge in domestic electricity consumption during the latest heat wave.

These three-hour cuts will continue until the end of June, before returning to two hours in the first half of July with the aim of stopping completely for the rest of the summer, Madbouly said on Tuesday.

Egyptian social media has lit up with complaints about the impact of the blackouts, with some saying they have been forced to purchase private power generators.

The problem has particularly affected teenagers preparing for the crucial high school certificate, with some posting about students studying by candlelight and others in coffee shops.

A wedding hall owner in the coastal city of Port Said said he would turn one of his ballrooms into a study hall.

Since July last year, load shedding linked to falling gas production, rising demand and a shortage of foreign currency has led to scheduled two-hour daily power cuts in most areas.

"We had said that we planned to end load shedding by the end of 2024... we do not have a power generation problem or a network problem, we are unable to provide fuel," Madbouly said on Tuesday.

"With the increase in consumption related to the major development and population increase, there has been a lot of pressure on our dollar resources," he added.

He said production in a neighboring country's gas field had come to a full halt for 12 hours leading to an interruption in the supply, without naming the country or the gas field.

Egypt's Abu Qir Fertilizers said on Tuesday three of its plants had halted production because their supply of natural gas was cut.