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Egypt: Tarek Al-Zumar on Terror List for 3rd Time

Tarek al-Zumar, former head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Building and Development Party. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tarek al-Zumar, former head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Building and Development Party. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Egypt: Tarek Al-Zumar on Terror List for 3rd Time

Tarek al-Zumar, former head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Building and Development Party. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tarek al-Zumar, former head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Building and Development Party. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Court of Cassation, the highest judicial body in Egypt, upheld on Thursday a court ruling that enlists the former head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Building and Development Party, fugitive Tarek al-Zumar, and 318 other defendants of the Sinai insurgency case, on the list of terrorist entities.

Zumar is accused of playing a pivotal role in the ISIS-affiliated “Wilayat Sinai”, providing financial support to the group from outside Egypt.

On Thursday, the Court rejected the defendants' appeal to a Cairo Criminal Court ruling, which enlisted the 319 defendants on the terror list.

“The Court of Cassation ruling is final and cannot be appealed,” judicial sources said.

The “Wilayat Sinai” case, which involves 555 suspected terrorists, is linked to attacks carried out by the terrorist organization in North Sinai.

In is the third time Egypt places the name of Zumar on its terrorist list.

The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Zumar to death last September in the case known in the media as "Rabaa sit-in dispersal."

In March, an Egyptian court placed Zumar and 319 people on a terrorist list for their links to the "Second Wilayat Sinai."

Last November, the Cairo Criminal Court again placed his name among 164 names on Egypt's terror list, including Mohammed Shawki al-Islambouli, another fugitive in Turkey, Assem Abdelmajid, who is in Qatar, and others.

Zumar is included in a list of 59 terrorists announced by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in June after the four countries cut relations with Qatar over its support for terrorism.

He is being tried in absentia in Egypt.

Zumar was imprisoned in 1984, along with his cousin Abboud al-Zumar, over accusations of assassinating former Egyptian president Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat.

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Arab World

UN Appeal for Aid to Support 10 Million Yemenis

 In Yemen around 3.3 million IDPs are living in family hosting arrangements and rental accommodation (UN)
 In Yemen around 3.3 million IDPs are living in family hosting arrangements and rental accommodation (UN)
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UN Appeal for Aid to Support 10 Million Yemenis

 In Yemen around 3.3 million IDPs are living in family hosting arrangements and rental accommodation (UN)
 In Yemen around 3.3 million IDPs are living in family hosting arrangements and rental accommodation (UN)

The United Nations and partners launched last week the 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, seeking urgent humanitarian and protection assistance to more than 10 million Yemenis in need.
In its plan, the UN warned that more than half of the country’s population – 19.5 million people – needs humanitarian assistance and protection services.
The collapse of the Yemeni riyal, now trading at over 2,160 riyals per US dollar in the legitimate government-controlled areas, has significantly worsened living conditions for Yemenis and left authorities struggling to pay public sector salaries for the past four months.
Yemen’s financial crisis further worsened after the Houthi militia suspended oil exports, causing an electricity blackout in Aden, the country's temporary capital, for more than half a day.
In its Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, the UN appealed for $2.47 billion to provide urgent humanitarian and protection assistance to more than 19.5 million people in need.
Under the 2025 appeal, humanitarians aim to deliver life-saving assistance to 10.5 million of the most vulnerable people in need, Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Julien Harneis, said.
Despite significant challenges, Harneis said 197 aid organizations reached more than 8 million people with life-saving assistance last year – two-thirds of which were local Yemeni organizations.
This was made possible by the sustained support of donors, who contributed more than $1.4 billion to the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan.
The Humanitarian Coordinator said much more is needed this year to reduce needs, achieve peace, revive the economy and build the resilience of communities through sustainable development activities.
He noted that climate shocks, increased regional tensions and chronic underfunding of critical humanitarian sectors are further worsening people’s vulnerability and suffering.
This year, more than 17 million people will experience acute food insecurity—almost half the country’s population—with 5 million expected to experience emergency levels of food insecurity.
Moreover, 13.6 million people face challenges to access a water source of sufficient quality to prevent diseases while 40% of Yemen's health facilities are partially functioning or completely out-of-service due to shortages in staff, funding, electricity, medicines and equipment, and infrastructure integrity.
The UN last year requested $2.7 billion for a humanitarian response plan, but received only meager pledges, causing a huge gap in meeting the needs of the targeted population.
Jamal Belfaqih, head of Yemen's Supreme Relief Committee, confirms the numbers of humanitarian needs declared by the United Nations, its agencies and international organizations.
However, Belfaqih said the appeal that agencies request fail to meet their efforts to secure funding.
Also, he said, the UN and its agencies face challenges to reach the targeted population due to a lack of information and demographic changes caused by internal displacement.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Belfaqih said the funds required from donors to finance the humanitarian response plan will probably not be obtained due to a poor promotion of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
“The relief organizations have not changed their response plan methods since 2015, despite their failure to meet the needs of the Yemenis and to end or reduce the humanitarian crisis,” he said.
In 2025, an estimated 19.5 million people across Yemen need humanitarian assistance and protection services – 1.3 million people more than last year.
An estimated 4.8 million people, most of whom are women and children, remain internally displaced, with repeated displacement trapping families in cycles of dependency on humanitarian assistance.
In a briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said people in Yemen continue to face a severe humanitarian and protection crisis.
Almost half of Yemen’s population – over 17 million people – is unable to meet their basic food needs.
The most marginalized, including women and girls, those displaced and communities such as the Muhamasheen, are the worst affected.
Msuya said almost half of all children under the age of 5 suffer from moderate to severe stunting caused by malnutrition, while cholera is at appalling levels.