SDRPY Hands Over 150 Housing Units to Yemeni Families in Aden

Part of the ceremony of handing over the rehabilitated housing units in Aden, Yemen, on Thursday, December 1, 2022. (SDRPY)
Part of the ceremony of handing over the rehabilitated housing units in Aden, Yemen, on Thursday, December 1, 2022. (SDRPY)
TT

SDRPY Hands Over 150 Housing Units to Yemeni Families in Aden

Part of the ceremony of handing over the rehabilitated housing units in Aden, Yemen, on Thursday, December 1, 2022. (SDRPY)
Part of the ceremony of handing over the rehabilitated housing units in Aden, Yemen, on Thursday, December 1, 2022. (SDRPY)

The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) on Friday, delivered 150 homes in Yemen’s Aden to improve the living conditions of low-income families.

The new residences were part of the ‘Adequate Housing’ project implemented in partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) and AlWaleed Philanthropies.

Over 4,000 people are set to benefit from this project after the rehabilitation of a targeted number of 600 low-income housing units in Aden.

Eng. Ahmed Medkhali, SDRPY director in Aden, said the project was part of Saudi Arabia’s intensified effort to rehabilitate damaged homes and build safe residences that provide proper living conditions for the Yemeni people.

He affirmed that the project is carried out under the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the continuous follow-up from the project general supervisor, Ambassador Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber.

The project contributes to improving the living conditions of Yemeni families by ensuring that their housing is safe, secure and designed to resist hazards.

In partnership with the University of Aden, the project provided over 200 unemployed youth with vocational training opportunities, focusing on skills such as carpentry and installing and repairing electrical systems.

Yemeni construction workers were given vocational training in electricity, solar energy, photography, and painting.

It upskilled 40 engineers in advanced geographical information systems, construction project management, specialized procurement and project cost calculation, and technical and economic feasibility studies.

Engineers from the Ministry of Public Works and Roads have also been trained in project management.



French-Algerian Novelist Sansal Appeals Detention Decision

Renowned French Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal (AFP)
Renowned French Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal (AFP)
TT

French-Algerian Novelist Sansal Appeals Detention Decision

Renowned French Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal (AFP)
Renowned French Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal (AFP)

Renowned French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal has been placed in detention at a hospital unit in Algeria’s capital, as his defense team appealed the decision to detain him.

Sansal’s lawyers in Algeria on Wednesday met with their client in the prison unit of Mustapha Hospital in Algiers, his lawyer in France François Zimeray said. The writer appeared to be worried but otherwise in good spirits, and did not complain of mistreatment, he said. His lawyers plan to seek his release on bail.

Sansal, 75, who obtained French citizenship earlier this year, was arrested this month at Algiers airport upon returning from France.

The writer was indicted Tuesday under Algeria’s Article 87 bis on charges of “undermining the integrity of the national territory,” the lawyer added.
On Friday, Algeria’s state news agency APS finally acknowledged his arrest without clarifying the circumstances.
Sansal has repeatedly criticized Algerian officials.

His arrest comes as relations between France and Algeria face newfound strains. France in July backed Morocco's sovereignty over the Western Sahara, angering Algeria.