Yemenis displaced from the port city of Hodeidah receive aid donated by the World Food Programme in the northern province of Hajjah on September 25, 2018. AFP
Yemenis displaced from the port city of Hodeidah receive aid donated by the World Food Programme in the northern province of Hajjah on September 25, 2018. AFP

Displaced Hodeidah civilians seek security in small southern town



With Yemeni government forces resuming an operation to retake the critical rebel-held port city of Hodeidah on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, civilians have again begun escaping, many bringing tales of Houthi violence and desperation.

Retaking the city is critical to breaking the Houthi stranglehold on the port, the Arab Coalition backing the Yemen government says, amid an ever worsening humanitarian situation which the UN warns is verging on widespread famine.

Over 76,500 households have been displaced by the fighting around Hodeidah since June, according to UN data, with the majority fleeing the province. Many are heading south on the coastal road – through a landscape still littered with Houthi landmines – where one of the first settlements they reach is Khokha.

A sandy town 120 kilometres south of Hodeidah, Khokha is not much more than a few winding residential streets around a crossroads where a route heads inland towards the town of Hays.

Khokha fell to the Houthi rebels in late 2014 and was retaken by Yemeni government forces last December. There is a large mosque, a post office, rows of fishing boats pulled up on the beach, and a scattered patchwork of farmers’ fields set back on the coastal plain. But not much to welcome the thousands of displaced civilians arriving here from Hays, Al Duraihmi, Al Jah and Hodeidah.

That is why a mobile healthcare clinic set up earlier this month has become a new hub in the town.

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Read more:

Opportunities for resolving Yemen crisis at UN General Assembly

Arab Coalition to open humanitarian corridors between Hodeidah and Sanaa

Yemen's Houthi rebels cut off food supplies for Hodeidah residents

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From children suffering the effects of traumatic stress to cases of acute diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water, some 160 patients receive life-saving primary healthcare daily, says Dr Hasan Abu Al Ghaith of the Yemeni Taiyba Foundation which runs the clinic with support from the Saudi King Salman Centre for Relief and Humanitarian Aid.

The situation is desperate, he says. Across Yemen, 1.1 million cases of acute watery diarrhoea or cholera have been reported since April 2017. With more than a quarter of Yemen's population dependant on aid, the UN's humanitarian Mark Lowcock warned the Security Council on Friday: "We are losing the fight against famine."

In one bed, a pale eight-year-old girl said the fear of fighting near her home in Hodeidah had made her sick. "Houthis frightened me, they were shelling from near our house, the sound of the mortars was very scary, I couldn't sleep for two days."

Women and children make up a large proportion of the clinic’s patients, said Etab, the female medical assistant who runs the women’s ward.

In addition to wards for men and women, the clinic runs a laboratory and pharmacy and a dedicated ward for treating children suffering from malnutrition. Up to a quarter of children arriving from Hodeidah are malnourished, according to UN data.

The foundation which runs the clinic is also providing food, shelter kits, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to the fleeing civilians. Around 4,000 displaced are currently staying in the town.

“Life is much better now, they have done a lot to help us," said Zahra, a 30-year-old woman from Al Jah, who brought her six-year-old nephew to the clinic suffering from diarrhoea.

UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

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Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

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Tesalam Aleik

Abdullah Al Ruwaished

(Rotana)

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”