Saudi Arabia and World Bank Pledge $300 Million for Yemen

Saudi Arabia and World Bank Pledge $300 Million for Yemen
Yemeni rescue workers search for victims amid the rubble of a destroyed building following reported airstrikes by Saudi-led coalition airplanes on the capital Sanaa on Oct. 8, 2016. Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images
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Saudi Arabia and the World Bank agreed to commit $300 million towards an aid package that would address Yemen’s immediate food security needs, officials said at a news conference in Riyadh on Wednesday (May 10).

The World Bank suggested a total package of $500 million to finance imports of rice and wheat by Yemeni merchants, said Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan.

It came as the World Bank prepared a draft reconstruction plan to rebuild Yemen’s shattered education, health and electricity infrastructure, but has not yet estimated a total cost, according to the bank’s regional vice president.

Yemen’s war, which pits the Iran—allied Houthi movement and elements of the military against the Saudi—backed internationally recognised government, has largely stalemated in different battlefronts across the country.

A Yemeni boy walks amid the ruins of a school and a bowling club hit by an air-strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, in the capital Sanaa, on Feb. 12. (MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images)
A Yemeni boy walks amid the ruins of a school and a bowling club hit by an air-strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, in the capital Sanaa, on Feb. 12. MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images