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Yemen Agrees with World Bank to Support Institutions, Achieve Economic Recovery

Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik (AP)
Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik (AP)
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Yemen Agrees with World Bank to Support Institutions, Achieve Economic Recovery

Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik (AP)
Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik (AP)

The World Bank agreed to support government institutions and achieve economic recovery in Yemen, Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik has announced.

Abdulmalik said Yemeni officials met with World Bank and International Finance Corporation officials in Aden.

The meeting resulted in an agreement on boosting the Bank's presence in the interim capital to support partnership and cooperation, respond to humanitarian and development needs, and back state capabilities to achieve stability and recovery.

Abdulmalik noted that the meeting addressed the most prominent challenges and several important issues relating to food security and energy sectors.

He stressed the need to shift to development in Yemen, suffering from the war against the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

The Prime Minister stated that the government is finalizing the plan to utilize international support, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Abdulmalik asserted that all Yemenis hope to rebuild the country after the UN-sponsored ceasefire and the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) formation.

He explained that his government agreed with the Bank on several points for the next stage, focusing on balancing the emergency response to sustainability with development projects.

They also agreed on financing the productive sectors, fisheries, and agriculture, and activating oversight over international organizations, namely projects funded through the World Bank.

The two also asserted the need to support the private sector, and the premier stressed the importance of the Bank's contribution to maintaining capabilities within public institutions.

Abdulmalik addressed the great challenge facing his country, including food prices and the impact of inflation on the purchasing power of citizens.

He noted the slight improvement achieved with the small increase in revenues and the progress of public finance performance, adding that citizens can't witness government reforms due to global inflation.

Fuel prices have increased, affecting many sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, and education.

The Prime Minister praised the "unique experience" of the World Bank in Yemen, especially since the international organization has been a key and strategic partner since the sixties.

The World Bank is a partner in building effective institutions such as the Social Fund for Development and the Public Works Project, capable of implementing projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Abdulmalik pointed out that the World Bank's portfolio in Yemen, funded by the International Finance Corporation, amounted in the last 18 months to more than $1 billion and covered many sectors, including health, education, and emergency cash transfers.

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Arab World

Houthi Attacks Threaten Thousands of African Refugees in Western Lahj

Tens of thousands of African refugees face risks from Houthi escalation (local media)
Tens of thousands of African refugees face risks from Houthi escalation (local media)
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Houthi Attacks Threaten Thousands of African Refugees in Western Lahj

Tens of thousands of African refugees face risks from Houthi escalation (local media)
Tens of thousands of African refugees face risks from Houthi escalation (local media)

Escalating Houthi military operations in southwestern Yemen are putting thousands of refugees from the Horn of Africa at growing risk, with missile strikes near a refugee camp disrupting essential services, restricting movement and forcing families already displaced by conflict to seek safety elsewhere.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis affecting more than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen, where mounting insecurity, economic collapse, dwindling resources and restrictions on aid access have left tens of thousands without safe shelter or basic necessities.

Despite the worsening conflict, thousands continue to risk their lives on perilous sea crossings from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, the agency said.

At the center of the latest concerns is Kharaz refugee camp in Lahj province, home to about 9,500 refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia and located just tens of kilometers from areas of fighting.

While no refugee casualties have been reported or confirmed, missile strikes in surrounding areas have forced some services to shut down and restricted residents' movement, deepening fear among families who had already fled violence and conflict in their home countries.

UNHCR partners, working with local authorities, have managed to deliver food aid to the camp, while healthcare and water supplies continue despite serious difficulties.

Other essential services have nearly ground to a halt. Schools have suspended classes, while legal assistance and documentation services have stopped. Soaring fuel and basic commodity prices have added to the strain, leaving refugee families struggling to meet their daily needs.

Refugees flee again

With insecurity mounting and humanitarian access increasingly restricted, refugee families have begun leaving Kharaz and other parts of western Yemen for safer areas in the south, including Aden.

But even the journey to safety carries risks. Families are forced to travel along routes used by warring parties, exposing them to further insecurity.

The deteriorating situation has also driven a rise in requests for voluntary repatriation, as growing numbers of refugees seek help returning to their home countries.

Since the Houthi offensive intensified in August, UNHCR has organized three flights from Aden to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, returning 607 Somali refugees to their homeland. More than 1,100 others have expressed a desire to return.

Yet those efforts are also under threat. UNHCR warned that continued strikes targeting airports and intensifying clashes were endangering refugees and aid workers and jeopardizing voluntary repatriation operations.

More than 134,000 arrivals

Even as years of conflict have left Yemen grappling with one of the world's most protracted humanitarian emergencies, migrants and asylum seekers continue to arrive on its shores.

More than 134,000 migrants and asylum seekers crossed by sea from the Horn of Africa in the first nine months of the year, fleeing conflict, persecution, instability and poverty, according to UNHCR.

Many hope to pass through Yemen on their way to other countries. Instead, they find themselves in a nation where deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions have made daily life increasingly precarious.

The flow is also moving in the opposite direction. Since September, about 4,200 people have left Yemen by sea for Djibouti and Somalia, with humanitarian organizations expecting departures to rise as maritime conditions improve.

The movements come as more than 300,000 Yemenis remain displaced following upheaval in recent months, adding to pressure on scarce resources and overstretched humanitarian services.

For residents, refugees and migrants alike, the overlapping crises are deepening hardship in a country already battered by years of conflict.

UNHCR warned that without urgent international action, adequate funding and unhindered humanitarian access, thousands more could be forced to flee, facing further deprivation and suffering.

Arab World

Guterres Condemns Escalation of Drone Attacks in Sudan

Local administration officials visit a market after a reported drone attack, in a location given as Abyei region, along the border between South Sudan and Sudan, October 20, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Radio Tamazuj/Handout via REUTERS
Local administration officials visit a market after a reported drone attack, in a location given as Abyei region, along the border between South Sudan and Sudan, October 20, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Radio Tamazuj/Handout via REUTERS
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Guterres Condemns Escalation of Drone Attacks in Sudan

Local administration officials visit a market after a reported drone attack, in a location given as Abyei region, along the border between South Sudan and Sudan, October 20, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Radio Tamazuj/Handout via REUTERS
Local administration officials visit a market after a reported drone attack, in a location given as Abyei region, along the border between South Sudan and Sudan, October 20, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Radio Tamazuj/Handout via REUTERS

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the escalating drone attacks in Sudan by the parties to the conflict and the catastrophic toll these attacks are inflicting on civilians, according to a statement by his spokesperson.

Across the country, as well as in Abyei, drones have killed hundreds of civilians, including women and children, which constitute violations of international humanitarian law, a statement by Stephane Dujarric said on Saturday.

“The Secretary-General is appalled by all the attacks directed against civilians and critical infrastructure, including health facilities,” it noted.

Guterres called on the parties to spare the civilian population and critical infrastructure and agree without delay to a cessation of hostilities as a first step towards ending this devastating conflict.

He renewed his urgent appeal to the parties to engage in good faith with mediation efforts.

Dujarric’s statement noted that the United Nations stands ready to support any efforts to advance a sustainable political resolution that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people.

Now in its fourth year, Sudan's conflict has already killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and triggered what the UN describes as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Arab World

UN Demands Probe into Death of Its Employee in Houthi Custody

Armed Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthis brandish their weapons during a protest against US strikes on Iran in Sanaa on July 10, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
Armed Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthis brandish their weapons during a protest against US strikes on Iran in Sanaa on July 10, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
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UN Demands Probe into Death of Its Employee in Houthi Custody

Armed Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthis brandish their weapons during a protest against US strikes on Iran in Sanaa on July 10, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
Armed Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthis brandish their weapons during a protest against US strikes on Iran in Sanaa on July 10, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)

The United Nations on Saturday condemned the "heartbreaking" death of one of its employees in Yemen under custody of the Houthis and demanded an inquiry.

Mohammad al-Shami, a staff member of the UN Human Rights Office in Yemen, had been "arbitrarily held" by the Houthis since June 2024, the organization said in a statement.

It cited his family as saying he had died more than a month ago but that his relatives had only been recently informed.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said in the statement that no explanation had been given for the "heartbreaking loss".

The statement said Turk "demanded full transparency from the Houthis and an urgent, independent and thorough investigation into his death".

It quoted Turk as saying he was also "gravely concerned for the safety and well-being of the other UN personnel who remain detained", demanding their release.

The Houthis "are gravely undermining our ability to support the people of Yemen during a most serious humanitarian and human rights crisis," he said.

"I urge them to change course."

On October 14, UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters in New York that 71 UN personnel were being held by the Houthis.