DUBAI -The United States on Wednesday pledged almost $585 million in new humanitarian aid for Yemen for 2022 as part of a United Nations-led drive to increase assistance to millions of Yemenis suffering dire shortages due to the 8-year-old conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the new U.S. assistance in a video appearance before a conference in which the U.N. is seeking nearly $4.3 billion in additional aid for the war-torn country.
The conflict pits the internationally recognized Yemeni government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
The European Union pledged $407.4 million, while the United Kingdom pledged 88 million pounds.
Blinken noted that humanitarian funding began drying up earlier this year – before attention was diverted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – forcing the closure or reduction of two-thirds of U.N. programs and cuts in food rations for 8 million Yemenis.
“The Russian government’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine threatens a significant source of Yemen’s imported wheat. Just in the first week alone, many Yemenis saw the bread price shoot up 50 percent,” he said.
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“To help meet the urgent needs today the United States is announcing before announcing the new U.S. contribution of $585 million, nearly $585 million in new humanitarian aid to Yemen,” he said.
This takes the total U.S. contribution to Yemen since the start of the conflict to $4.5 billion, Blinken said.
(Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Toby Chopra and David Gregorio)
