Despite the billions the British armament industry is making from supplying Saudi Arabia with weaponry to fight the Houthi and despite the UN's warnings that Yemen faces imminent famine if aid is not increased, the UK government has reduced its humanitarian help to Yemen. Last year it provided £214m but for this year it will be about £87m.
“Millions of Yemeni children, women and men desperately need aid to live. Cutting aid is a death sentence,” António Guterres said in a statement.
20 million people - two-thirds of the Yemeni population - depend on humanitarian assistance. Some two million children are acutely malnourished.
Laurie Lee, the chief executive of Care International, said: “In the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, [Britain’s reduced pledge] will take lifesaving aid away from a quarter of a million people on the brink of famine. A famine caused by war. A war enabled by UK arms sales.”
Kevin Watkins, the chief executive of Save the Children UK, said: “This is one of the first illustrations of the devastating real-life consequences of the UK’s decision to abandon its commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI [gross national income] on aid, and we hope the government will urgently rethink this move in time to avoid tragic consequences for the world’s most vulnerable children.”
Yemen condemns international donor funding shortfall as UK cuts aid | Yemen | The Guardian
No comments:
Post a Comment