Embassy of Saudi Arabia issued the following announcement on Feb. 23.
The Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen launched the Yemen Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations (YCHO), an expanded relief program that addresses the humanitarian situation in the immediate and long-term, one month ago today and the results are already tangible. The Saudi-led Coalition, in partnership with UN agencies, continues to prioritize the welfare of the Yemeni people in its efforts to restore peace and stability to Yemen. The YCHO reinforces the Coalition’s commitment to bringing needed food, medicine, shelter aid, and fuel supplies to the people in all of the regions of Yemen.
The Coalition has taken several measures to facilitate aid flows across Yemen under the YCHO, which include:
opening land crossings at AlKhadra, AlTuwal, and AlWadea;
opening an air bridge from Riyadh to Ma’rib for the transport of medical, food, and shelter aid to reach across all regions in Yemen, commencing 60 flights to date;
conducting on-site surveys in Aden aimed at expanding the capacities of Yemeni ports.
The immediate effects of opening the AlWadea land port by the Coalition includes the following:
delivery of 4 medical aid trucks from the International Committee of the Red Cross;
delivery of 180,000 liters of fuel in 5 tankers to Ma’rib, Yemen, for distribution to local communities, as acknowledged in a January 25th statement by the UN Secretary General;
convoy of 69 trucks carrying over 1,200 tons of food and shelter aid from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Center (KSrelief), for distribution across several Yemeni provinces.
The opening of 22 entry points (10 sea, 7 land, and 5 air) under the YCHO plan, along with the opening of Ma’rib airport, enhances humanitarian activities and supports the work of NGOs and INGOs operating in Yemen, ultimately increasing the number of beneficiaries in all Yemeni cities and governorates.
Over the past month, several agreements have been signed for the following long-term YCHO projects:
reconstruction of a north-south road, connecting the port of Aden to Yemen’s interior, signed January 24, 2018;
delivery of 4 cranes to the ports of Mokha (2 cranes), Aden (1 crane), and Mukalla (1 crane), signed February 5, 2018;
eradication of cholera in Yemen, in partnership between KSRelief and the World Health Organization (WHO), signed February 13, 2018;
health sector support, partnering KSRelief with 5 hospitals and foundations, signed February 20, 2018;
Child soldier rehabilitation, in a partnership between KSRelief and Wethaq Foundation, signed February 20, 2018
The Coalition has issued more than 18,000 aid entry clearances since 2015, smoothing the progress of 178 aid deliveries by land, air, and sea since January 22nd. To date, aid delivered under the YCHO has reached over 835,000 people across Yemen. The Coalition notes with gratitude the work of UN and international non-governmental organizations operating in all Yemeni regions. This work has benefited millions, and the Saudi-led Coalition deeply appreciates the efforts of this unprecedented multilateral initiative to relieve the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up