KSrelief, WFP sign $60 mln deal to provide food security for millions in Yemen

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed a $60 million deal with the World Food Program (WFP) to ensure that the food needs of nearly 50 million people in Yemen are met, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.

The deal was signed by WFP Executive Director David Beasley and KSrelief’s Supervisor General Dr Abdullah al-Rabeeah on the sidelines of the G20 development ministers meeting in Brindisi, southern Italy.

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The Kingdom’s donation comes as local and international organizations struggle to provide aid amid the ongoing conflict, economic decline, and the impact of COVID-19 on millions of Yemenis, the WFP said in a statement.

The program, which will last for six months, aims to secure 68,545 tons of food for more than 4,900,000 people suffering from acute food insecurity in 15 Yemeni governorates, according to SPA.

“We are currently witnessing an alarming deterioration of the food security situation in Yemen that goes beyond any levels seen before, with 5 million people just a step away from famine,” said Beasley.

“We are grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this urgently needed contribution to WFP’s life-saving operation, without which our large-scale and complex humanitarian response in the country cannot be sustained,” he added.

For his part, al-Rabeeah said that the donation shows that the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people are a priority for the Kingdom.

“This program will contribute to providing food security to the largest possible number of needy people in different Yemeni governorates…Signing the program comes as an extension of humanitarian projects and programs being provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through KSrelief, for Yemen, whereas the number of projects reached 597, at a total cost of more than $3.771 billion,” SPA quoted the supervisor general as saying.

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