UAE's $4bn Yemen aid places it second biggest humanitarian donor

The UAE is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Yemen after Saudi Arabia, according to an international report. The UN's Financial Tracking Service (FTS), said on Wednesday that the UAE ranked second place after Saudi Arabia as the biggest backer of Yemen's Humanitarian Response Plan in 2018. Some 25 per cent of funding for the $2.9bn plan came from UAE contributions, behind Saudi Arabia that has contributed 28 per cent of the donations. In third place is the United States who have provided just over 10 per cent of the funding this year. The report has monitored humanitarian assistance to Yemen since the start of the year. The Emirates alone has pledged nearly $4 billion in aid over three years to ease the humanitarian crisis, making it Yemen's second single largest donor. The UAE’s humanitarian campaign, represented by the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), has stepped up operations since 2017. It has provided aid to support humanitarian and reconstruction efforts across several liberated Yemeni governorates, state media said. _______________ Read more: Houthi rebels using human shields south of Hodeidah Devastating impact of mines leaves lasting legacy Evidence mounts of Houthi hand in deadly Hodeidah attack _______________ The Arab Coalition – which includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE – intervened in Yemen’s war in 2015 to fight the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels at the request of the internationally-recognised government of Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi. On Monday, Saudi Arabia announced it will grant Yemen $60 million worth of petroleum products each month to power electricity stations and boost the national currency. Mohammed Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Yemen, wrote in a Tweet that the aid would "alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people who have been suffering from terror".