Mon - 01 Jun 2020 - 04:51 PM ،،،
NE
75% of the United Nations’ programmes in Yemen have had to stop or reduce their operations, including cuts on food rations, as well as health services in 189 out of 369 hospitals.
The UN last year received around $3.6 billion in international donations, short of its $4.2 billion goal. For its 2020 plan, it has so far received only 15% out of the needed $3.5 billion.
Yemen’s fund cuts are the result of several factors, the biggest being obstruction by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control the capital, Sanaa, and fight against the Saudi-UAE coalition.
The Houthis have been criticised for suppressing information about the number of coronavirus cases in areas they control. Reports indicate that the virus is spreading at an alarming rate throughout the country. Considering Yemen’s poor healthcare system, observers fear the impact would be catastrophic.
The United States, one of the largest donors, decreased its aid to Yemen earlier this year, citing interference by the Houthis.
Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, has been torn by conflict since 2014, when Houthi rebels seized the capital and ousted the government of president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.