Saudi Arabia and UAE are among largest international aid

 A UAE daily has said that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the largest international aid donors to Yemen.

Last month, the UAE donated $10m to fight the cholera outbreak in Yemen. And Saudi Arabia is improving infrastructure at multiple ports in Yemen to speed up aid delivery. "But infusions of foreign money cannot end the suffering of Yemenis. That will only happen when Yemen is released from the chokehold of the Houthis and Mr. Saleh (Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen). This moment must be seized," The National wrote in its editorial today.

The paper says that during his 33-year-long reign as president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh fought at least half a dozen wars with the Houthis. Enmity between the two was an unchanging feature of Yemeni politics. But the old foes set aside their differences and entered into a marriage of convenience after Mr Saleh was compelled to quit the presidency in 2012 by the widespread protests.

"Since then, this self-serving alliance has brought nothing but misery to the people of Yemen. Collectively, they have driven out the legitimate government of Yemen, besieged its capital, emptied out its treasury, wrecked its economy and presided over the transformation of the country into a theatre of deprivation and affliction. Diseases that are obsolete in much of the rest of the world are rife in Yemen: cholera alone has claimed 2,000 Yemeni lives and infected half a million more. More than 10,000 Yemenis have died in this conflict," the Abu Dhabi-based English language newspaper said.

"It is important, however, to remember that while the Houthi-Saleh combine has suffocated Yemenis, even stopping many Yemenis from performing the Hajj, the coalition has sought to create a viable future for Yemen," the paper concluded.

Commenting on the same issue, Gulf News, a Dubai-based newspaper wrote in its today's editorial, " The international community could never stand by as Al Houthis and its supporters and other militia elements aligned as former president Ali Abdullah Saleh vied for influence and control. Indeed, for the past two years, an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia, and in which the UAE is proud to be playing a leading role, is acting on United Nations Security Council resolutions to bring peace and restore the legitimate government in Yemen."

Source: Wam