UN Appeals for $4.3 Bn to Help Millions in War-torn Yemen

Yemeni children attend class outdoors in a heavily damaged school on the first day of the new academic year in Yemen's war-torn western province of Hodeida on October 17, 2022. Khaled Ziad, AFP
Yemeni children attend class outdoors in a heavily damaged school on the first day of the new academic year in Yemen's war-torn western province of Hodeida on October 17, 2022. Khaled Ziad, AFP
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UN Appeals for $4.3 Bn to Help Millions in War-torn Yemen

Yemeni children attend class outdoors in a heavily damaged school on the first day of the new academic year in Yemen's war-torn western province of Hodeida on October 17, 2022. Khaled Ziad, AFP
Yemeni children attend class outdoors in a heavily damaged school on the first day of the new academic year in Yemen's war-torn western province of Hodeida on October 17, 2022. Khaled Ziad, AFP

The United Nations said it needed $4.3 billion this year to help millions of people in war-ravaged Yemen, ahead of a donors' conference on Monday.

Aid agencies need the money to help more than 17 million people in the country, which has been devastated by an eight-year civil war, said AFP.

The conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and plunged the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula into one of the world's worst humanitarian tragedies.

Yemen is also at the forefront of the climate crisis, with severe drought and flooding threatening lives, the UN said.

It acknowledged that "record global humanitarian needs are stretching donor support like never before".

"But without sustained support for the aid operation in Yemen, the lives of millions of Yemenis will hang in the balance, and efforts to end the conflict once and for all will become even more challenging," it said in a statement.

A truce that began on April 2 last year expired on October 2.

UN chief Antonio Guterres, who will attend Monday's donor conference in Geneva, said the international community had "the power and the means to end this crisis".

"And it begins by funding our appeal fully and committing to disbursing funds quickly," he said in the statement.

Last year, the UN raised more than $2.2 billion to enable aid agencies to reach nearly 11 million people across the country every month.



Lebanese Army Says It’s Moving Troops into the Country’s South as Part of Ceasefire Plan

A Lebanese army vehicle drives past destruction in Lebanon's southern village of Bint Jbeil on November 27, 2024, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)
A Lebanese army vehicle drives past destruction in Lebanon's southern village of Bint Jbeil on November 27, 2024, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)
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Lebanese Army Says It’s Moving Troops into the Country’s South as Part of Ceasefire Plan

A Lebanese army vehicle drives past destruction in Lebanon's southern village of Bint Jbeil on November 27, 2024, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)
A Lebanese army vehicle drives past destruction in Lebanon's southern village of Bint Jbeil on November 27, 2024, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)

The Lebanese army said on Wednesday it was moving additional troops into the country's south on Wednesday to extend state authority in coordination with the UN peacekeeping mission there.

“The concerned military units are moving from several areas to the South Litani Sector, where they will be stationed in the locations designated for them,” the Lebanese military said in its first statement since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire went into effect.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli troops would pull out of Lebanon and Hezbollah is required to move its forces north of the Litani River, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border.

The ceasefire agreement gives Israel and Hezbollah fighters 60 days to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon near the border. Thousands of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers will patrol the area, and an international committee will monitor compliance.

The Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines during the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah, although dozens of its soldiers have been killed amid the fighting.

Meanwhile, international aid groups welcomed the ceasefire and urge donors to provide funding to help rebuild parts of Lebanon and assist the displaced.

The aid groups are concerned about the aftershocks of the war on Lebanon’s already struggling economy. With more than 1.2 million people displaced, they warned that the damage would leave many struggling and without homes.

More than 100,000 homes have been either partially or fully destroyed across southern Lebanon, Bekaa and Beirut, the International Rescue Committee said.

Mercy Corps said that half of Lebanon’s population now lives below the poverty line. It called on donors to fulfill pledges to support immediate humanitarian efforts and the long-term recovery.

“There will undoubtedly be a great deal of grief and trauma. Many will have no homes to return to, no schools for their children, and livelihoods destroyed,” Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary-General Jan Egeland said.