Yemen's Minister of Local Administration and Chairman of the High Relief Committee Abed Araqib Fateh has said that the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief has been a major supporter of aid and relief work in Yemen. He said since its inception KSrelief has contributed directly to keeping Yemen from sliding into a humanitarian disaster following the Houthi coup against the legitimate government and their looting of aid and government revenues. In a recent meeting with the Saudi project for demining (MASAM) team, Fatah spoke about KSrelief's history of working in Yemen. "We have worked with KSrelief since its inception, and it has implemented 321 projects in Yemen. These projects have included all humanitarian sectors related to the welfare of Yemenis," he said. During natural disasters faced by the Yemeni people over the past several years, such as hurricanes Chapala, Makono and Luban, KSrelief was key to delivering integrated humanitarian assistance to victims in the affected areas. He also noted that the center has coordinated with the High Relief Committee to move into the second phase of projects in a number of governorates to improve livelihoods and enhance economic development. The minister pointed to two examples of the center's key projects and programs in Yemen, such as the demining project. MASAM was launched in June 2018 at a cost of $40 million, and has to date deactivated more than 35,000 explosive devices planted throughout Yemen by Houthi militia groups. Another major project involves the Artificial Limbs Centers in Aden and Marib to treat amputees who have lost their limbs in the conflict. The Child Soldiers Rehabilitation Project, also funded by KSrelief, has so far provided support services to 241 children; the program will eventually rehabilitate a total of 2,000 former child soldiers and other children severely traumatized by the ongoing conflict. KSrelief, he explained, also launched air, land and sea bridges to deliver aid to Hodeida. The bridges are still working today, despite the four-year siege that has been imposed by the militias on the population of Hodeida. Fateh also pointed out that KSrelief has expanded its presence in Yemen with its branch offices in the Aden and Marib governorates to enable the center to coordinate with the Yemeni government to implement its projects. KSrelief's humanitarian projects, he added, have extended to Yemeni refugees in Djibouti, where it funded and built an integrated housing complex in Obock. The village includes 300 housing units, a school, a mosque and medical clinics. The Yemeni minister concluded his remarks by saying, "The center carries out a wide variety of activities, including providing medical treatment for 21,000 injured Yemenis in hospitals in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan and India. It also signed agreements with private hospitals to treat wounded Yemenis inside Yemen, and supports Yemen's health sector by providing government hospitals and medical centers with supplies, equipment, medications, fuel and medical gases." — SG
