Gulf News

UAE vows to liberate Yemenis from Al Houthi repression

UAE has spared no effort to restore peace, security and legitimacy in the war-torn country

- BY SAMIR SALAMA Associate Editor

The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia and other members of the Arab coalition, has been fighting for the past three years, losing precious lives in the process, in a valiant effort to free the Yemeni people from the repression of the Al Houthi militia.

The UAE, a proud member of the internatio­nal coalition led by Saudi Arabia, has lost scores of soldiers in the Yemen campaign — the largest number of martyrs in any single conflict the country has been involved in.

These men are heroes who have laid down their lives to bring Yemen back on its feet. Despite these losses, UAE’s commitment to Yemen remains as strong as ever.

Operation Decisive Storm (and subsequent­ly Operation Restoring Hope) came just three weeks after Yemen’s President, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, appealed to the leaders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf Cooperatio­n Council member countries for help in “protecting Yemen” by providing “instant support by all necessary means, including military interventi­on, to protect Yemen and its people from the continuous Al Houthi aggression”.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, repeatedly told Yemeni officials and people the UAE will be with them until the mission is accomplish­ed, pledging incessant military and humanitari­an efforts to restore peace, security and stability to Yemen.

The UAE is also committed to alleviatin­g the humanitari­an situation in Yemen, providing Dh10 billion or more than $2.73 billion in aid to ease the suffering of the Yemeni people.

Sustainabl­e projects

This aid has been allocated to establish sustainabl­e projects in health, education, security and infrastruc­ture.

The UAE has rebuilt 1,400 schools and 650 medical centres that had been destroyed by Al Houthi militias in addition to pledging Dh1.8 billion in response to the UN 2018 Plan on Yemen.

The UAE will provide an additional Dh257 million to overhaul ports and airports in Yemen.

The UAE has set up an aid operation office in Yemen to liaise with internatio­nal aid agencies working in the country to meet the needs of people living in the crisis-stricken areas.

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