Abu Dhabi crown prince vows to support Yemen during talks with new leader

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, discussed with Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Chairman, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, the various aspects of bilateral relations. (WAM)
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Updated 01 May 2022
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Abu Dhabi crown prince vows to support Yemen during talks with new leader

LONDON: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed on Saturday said he would spare no effort to provide all possible support to Yemen, hailing “the historical relations uniting the two nations,” state news agency WAM reported.

Sheikh Mohammed also affirmed his country’s support for the newly established Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council “to fulfill its national responsibilities toward ensuring the stability and security of Yemen and to achieve the aspirations of its people for development and progress.”

He spoke during a meeting with members of the council and Rashad Al-Alimi, who was appointed head of the council on April 7 after former President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi transferred his powers to it on the final day of intra-Yemeni talks led by the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh.

Sheikh Mohammed congratulated Al-Alimi on assuming Yemen’s leadership and wished him “success in serving his country and its people, overcoming the difficult circumstances it is going through, and moving forward toward stability and peace,” WAM reported.

Al-Alimi thanked the UAE for its “continuous support to Yemen and its people in these exceptional circumstances” and its active participation within the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen in supporting efforts to achieve economic stability, Yemen’s SABA news agency reported.

He said Yemen is an integral part of the Arab world that is committed to “protecting Arab national security” and “is working to strengthen its relations with its partners,” especially coalition members Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who “shared with Yemen its national battle and its central issue of restoring the state and confronting the Iranian destructive mission in Yemen and the region.”

Al-Alimi, who also visited Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and held talks with the king and crown prince, added that the process of rebuilding state institutions in Yemen and achieving economic stability requires all countries’ cooperation and support, SABA said.

During their meeting at Qasr Al-Bahr in Abu Dhabi, the two sides exchanged greetings for the upcoming Muslim Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, and discussed ways of strengthening relations and intensifying efforts to rehabilitate war torn-Yemen.


US resumes food aid to Somalia

Updated 58 min 48 sec ago
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US resumes food aid to Somalia

  • The United States on Thursday announced the resumption of food distribution in Somalia, weeks after the destruction of a US-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse at Mogadishu’s port

NAIROBI: The United States on Thursday announced the resumption of food distribution in Somalia, weeks after the destruction of a US-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse at Mogadishu’s port.
In early January, Washington suspended aid to Somalia over reports of theft and government interference, saying Somali officials had “illegally seized 76 metric tons of donor-funded food aid meant for vulnerable Somalis.”
US officials then warned any future aid would depend on the Somali government taking accountability, a stance Mogadishu countered by saying the warehouse demolition was part of the port’s “expansion and repurposing works.”
On Wednesday, however, the Somali government said “all WFP commodities affected by port expansion have been returned.”
In a statement Somalia said it “takes full responsibility” and has “provided the World Food Program with a larger and more suitable warehouse within the Mogadishu port area.”
The US State Department said in a post on X that: “We will resume WFP food distribution while continuing to review our broader assistance posture in Somalia.”
“The Trump Administration maintains a firm zero tolerance policy for waste, theft, or diversion of US resources,” it said.
US president Donald Trump has slashed aid over the past year globally.
Somalis in the United States have also become a particular target for the administration in recent weeks, targeted in immigration raids.
They have also been accused of large-scale public benefit fraud in Minnesota, which has the largest Somali community in the country with around 80,000 members.